The Libyan Oil Minister Mohammed Oun has suspended the Chairman of the National Oil Corporation Mustafa Sanallah and referred him to administrative investigation for the second time in less than two months.

Oun issued on August 29 an order to suspend Sanallah for traveling abroad without permission from him as an Oil Minister and for obstructing the appointment of board member Jadallah Al-Awkali as Chairman-designate.

Oun said in the new decision that Sanallah had made violations that included passing on taking prior permission from the Oil Minister when starting official work and reports on his domestic tasks, in addition to violations of administrative order and the refusal to transfer of sovereign positions from the NOC to the Ministry, let alone appointing an NOC board member as Chairman in violation of NOC rules.

The decision came two days after the Vice Prime Minister Hussein Al-Gotrani ordered NOC Chairman to stop dealing with any party except for him in order to ensure unity of state sovereign institutions.

The Head of NOC workers affairs department Jumua Al-Jazwi told, after Al-Gotrani's letter to Sanallah, to listen to orders from Sanallah only and not to send any details or information of the NOC to any entity and said legal actions can be taken against those who violate the orders.