2023-07-14 14:27:07
Prince Laurent’s lawyer, Me Laurent Arnauts, considers the complaint lodged once morest his client by the Libyan Investment Authority (LIA) “pathetic”.
“The Libyan dignitaries are trying to save face because they have just lost a 13th time before the Belgian courts, in Italy and in Luxembourg”, comments the lawyer in a press release.
Lawyers defending the Libyan Investment Authority (LIA) filed a criminal complaint once morest Prince Laurent on Thursday, they said at a press conference on Friday. An investigation is now open, they assured. “The criminal complaint we have filed alleges fraud and extortion by Prince Laurent. Furthermore, we allege that Prince Laurent used improper influence in an attempt to pressure our client into paying him a large sum of money for a dispute which we believe had nothing to do with with our client,” said Me Christophe Marchand.
“Not serious”
“The LIA’s assertion that the prince engaged in influence peddling is also not serious,” replies Prince Laurent’s lawyer. “In 2022, I negotiated with the Libyan ambassador the terms of payment of the Libyan debt which had meanwhile risen to 67 million euros, due to interest, loss of earnings and costs. Libya demanded that in exchange for such a payment, GSDT (Prince Laurent’s foundation, editor’s note) put an end to its criminal action once morest the LIA. Which of course we were ready to do, while emphasizing that we obviously had no control over the investigating judge’s investigation, which relates to billions of money frozen by international sanctions and diverted for the benefit of ‘strangers’.
“But in the weeks that followed, other Libyan dignitaries shoved us a contract which implied that we would pay between 5 and 12% of the amount payable by Libya to a lawyer in Italy who had nothing to do with with our file”, explains Me Arnauts. “It was clearly a new request for corruption,” he adds. According to the lawyer, “the complaint seems to be a reaction of panic”.
The Libyan sovereign wealth fund and King Philip’s brother have been engaged in a legal dispute for several years. The prince claims to be compensated following unilateral breach of a contract between his former non-profit organization, Global Sustainable Development Trust (GSDT), and Libya, for reforestation work in the Libyan desert. Since the end of 2014, relying on a decision of the Belgian justice in his favor, the prince seeks to recover several tens of millions of euros which are due to him.
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