Two Libyan families have lodged their case against Libyan warlord Khalifa Haftar, who also holds a US citizenship, to an American court on Friday, in an effort to hold him accountable for atrocities committed in the conflict in Libya.
The Virginia Federal Court heard the two Libyan families’ representatives Muna Al-Suyid and Abdullah Al-Kershiny, who filed the lawsuit against Haftar, whose lawyers did not appear at the first hearing in Alexandria, Virginia, which dealt mainly with procedural questions, such as determining service and damages, according to The Associated Press.
AP added that the judge could soon grant a default judgment, as Haftar and his sons failed to respond to the suit by the deadline.
It also said, citing the plaintiffs’ lawyers, that Haftar’s connections and properties in suburban Virginia give the federal court jurisdiction to prosecute his offenses.
The families seek up to $85 million in damages from Haftar and his two sons, Khalid and Saddam, who helped lead his 2014 offensive in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi, the report adds.
Meanwhile, former political adviser to Haftar, Mohammed Buisier, said on Facebook that deciphering the American equation is simply taking Haftar out of the conflict into criminal investigation.
Separately, The United States Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Bureau at the State Department, David Schenker, said Washington was investigating and trying to get to the bottom of reports that Khalifa Haftar’s plane was in the Venezuelan capital Caracas last week as part of an attempt to secure an oil deal.
Speaking at a teleconference, David Schenker said the allegations were concerning and added that US and United Nations sanctions applied to those exporting Libyan oil outside legal auspices of Libya’s National Oil Corporation, according to Reuters.
