Russians Sought to Meddle in Vote, Libya Prosecutor Letter Shows

(Bloomberg) --

Libya is pushing ahead with the prosecution of two Russians it accuses of espionage and attempting to meddle in future elections, defying pressure from Moscow for their release, according to a senior Libyan official.

In the most detailed account of their allegations to emerge to date, prosecutors said in a letter to the Libyan Foreign Ministry that the two were working for Kremlin ally Yevgeny Prigozhin as part of a plan that also included helping Russia to secure a military base in Libya, or failing that, to prevent the U.S. from obtaining one.

The official showed the letter, dated May 20, to Bloomberg a day after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told his Libyan counterpart the continued jailing of the men was the “main obstacle” to improving relations with Moscow. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the United Nations-backed government will proceed with the prosecution despite the Russian pressure.

The Russian citizens, Maxim Shugaley and Samir Seifan, were arrested in Tripoli in May 2019 and have been held in jail there since. They haven't yet been referred to trial, which is when charges are formalized. A lawyer for the men declined to comment.

Proxy War

Russia says it supports the Tripoli government but it has provided military contractors and, according to the U.S., warplanes to fight for its rival, led by Gen. Khalifa Haftar, in a power struggle that's increasingly turned into an international proxy battle. Backed by the Russian fighters, Haftar launched an assault on the capital in April 2019. It stalled after Turkey sent forces to defend the government. Tripoli said Friday it had retaken Haftar's last stronghold in the west of the country.

With the outside powers calling for a cease fire, Tripoli sent a delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister Ahmed Maiteeq to Moscow. But Lavrov took a tough line, highlighting the importance of releasing the jailed men, according to a Russian statement issued after the meeting.

Prosecutors accuse the men of espionage and seeking to influence future elections in Libya on orders from Prigozhin, who heads the Wagner mercenary group and has been accused of interfering in elections in the U.S and several African countries. He's denied those allegations.

The prosecutors allege that the Russian operatives hedged their bets by planning to support other candidates if it became clear that they'd win, while deploying a team to eastern Libya to back Haftar.

Bloomberg has previously reported that the detained Russians met with Saif al-Islam Qaddafi to help plan his election campaign, almost nine years after the ouster of his father Moammar Al Qaddafi in a 2011 NATO-backed revolt.

The jailed men's employer, the Moscow-based Foundation for the Defense of National Values, has said they met Qaddafi's son as part of research it commissioned on him and other Libyan politicians, denying that they'd traveled to Libya to interfere in elections. The organization is headed by Alexander Malkevich, who was part of a media group linked to Prigozhin and who's been targeted by U.S. sanctions for alleged involvement in U.S. elections interference.

Prigozhin didn't respond to a request for comment sent to his company. Malkevich, who maintains the men are innocent, said he's still awaiting information about their possible release.

In recent months, Russia has intensified pressure on the Libyan authorities to let the men go. Last month, the foundation aired a film dramatizing their plight on Russian television, including scenes showing them being tortured in jail -- an allegation that Libyan authorities have denied.