The High Council of State (HCS) strongly criticized the law passed by the House of Representatives (HoR) concerning the settlement of public debt, considering it devoid of constitutional and political legitimacy and in clear violation of the Libyan Political Agreement, which mandates partnership between the two chambers on sovereign and financial matters. In a statement, the HCS explained that the law seeks to grant retroactive legitimacy to a massive public debt exceeding 303 billion dinars, accumulated since 2014 in the absence of approved budgets and final accounts. This, it said, amounts to a political settlement of a fait accompli and entrenches a policy of impunity rather than accountability and auditing of how these funds were spent. The HCS further considered the law a blatant interference in the mandates of the Central Bank of Libya, calling on the Central Bank to refrain from implementing the law or arranging any financial consequences arising from it. The statement also urged judicial authorities and oversight bodies to intervene urgently and exercise their mandates to protect public funds through oversight and accountability, uphold the principle of the rule of law, and prevent the Libyan citizen from bearing the cost of unlawful settlements.

Source: Libya Observer December 24, 2025 19:53 UTC