The director of the office of the head of the Administrative Control Authority, Muhannad Al-Mawi, confirmed that the authority has been following the school textbook printing file for more than a year. He clarified that the communication regarding the television episode was made with the director of the Control office without identifying their media capacity, and that the call was made without clarifying the caller’s identity.
Al-Mawi explained during a phone-in on the “Hiwariyat Al-Layla” program, broadcast on the “Libya Al-Ahrar” channel and followed by Al-Marsad newspaper, that the authority reserves its right to publish all data to the public in commitment to the principle of transparency. He announced its readiness to dedicate a full episode to present all documents and procedures related to the file. He added that the authority had recorded observations since the printing of the school textbook for the 2024-2025 academic year, most notably the failure to pass the contracts to the authority, despite former minister Mousa Al-Megarief’s statements about the curricula arriving at warehouses without prior permission from the Control, in violation of Law No. 2 of 2023.
Al-Mawi confirmed that the authority initiated investigation and seizure procedures and referred the entire file to the Public Prosecutor’s office, stressing that the Control’s reports are considered judicial evidence. He noted that the initial printing violations ended with the imprisonment of the former Minister of Education, and that the authority, in July 2024, froze the Curriculum Center’s account, valued at over 200 million dinars, and followed up on the file through more than ten officially published meetings.
Al-Mawi revealed that the Control discovered breaches in the Tenders Committee and the previous center’s management, referring those responsible for investigation and suspending them from work. He clarified that most of the supplying companies were fake companies known as “briefcase companies,” and the ministry continued to contract with them despite the Control’s observations. He explained that the value of the contracts for printing books in Italy exceeded 94 million dinars, and that the authority did not impose any company on the ministry, but rather reduced the value of contracts by 200 million dinars over the past two years, and notified all state institutions, from the Presidency Council to the Parliament.
In response to a question about opening letters of credit, Al-Mawi clarified that the letter from the head of the authority, dated September 28, 2025, was sent to the competent authorities with transparency after several meetings, confirming the Control’s demand to exclude incompetent companies. He stated that the ministry insisted on contracting with local companies despite their weak capabilities, and that some contracts were invalidly concluded with foreign companies to print the books. He pointed out that one of the companies was established on October 21 and received approval just four days later, while the previous companies’ contracts were canceled on October 28. He explained that the investigations include the Central Bank and commercial banks after confirming that letters of credit were opened for these newly established companies.
Al-Mawi denied granting any approvals concerning “Al-Bashir Company,” stressing that the opening of letters of credit did not go through the authority, and that the investigations are still ongoing and will include all concerned institutions. He also mentioned the restructuring of the Tenders Committee and the suspension of the former director of school textbooks and his referral for investigation. Regarding the accusations against Abdullah Qadirbouh, Al-Mawi explained that any accusation must be submitted to the judiciary, confirming that there are official summons for bank officials who did not comply with the investigation, which constitutes a legal violation that could lead to the lifting of immunity for sovereign figures or deputies to investigate them.