The Libyan Presidential Council suspended on Saturday Foreign Minister Najla Mangoush over her making “unilateral foreign policy decisions without coordination [with the council], which constitutes a violation of the political agreement,” according to multiple press reports.
In addition to her suspension, Mangoush will be placed under investigation and banned from leaving the country, reports say.
Abdulla al-Lafi, deputy chairman of the council, will lead the investigation committee, which is scheduled to deliver its findings within 14 days after Mangoush’s suspension.
Multiple Libyan media outlets speculated that Mangoush’s suspension came in the aftermath of an alleged announcement she made to the BBC that her government is discussing with the British authorities the possible extradition of Abu Agila Mohammed Masud, a former Libyan intelligence official suspected to be involved in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing.
The alleged statement drew a lot of criticism from Libyans who believe that the case against Libya should be closed after the country paid $2.7 billion in financial settlement in 2003.