Oil Minister Seeks Libyan Govt. Decision on His Job

Libya's oil and gas minister Mohamed Oun said on Wednesday evening he had stopped working after being sidelined by the prime minister and pressed the government either to allow him to continue in his role or formally dismiss him.

Oun said in a video statement that an oil and gas deputy minister was assigned on Tuesday by the prime minister "to continue running the oil and gas ministry until further notice, despite my actual presence at the Ministry".

Oun's position has been under a cloud since March, when he was suspended by the Administrative Control Agency amid an investigation it said was about "the presence of legal violations."

The suspension was lifted in May and Oun resumed work, but he said he was prevented from performing his duties.

The government has not issued any statement in response to Oun's announcement yet.

Oun said the deputy's assignment had come to his attention without any letter addressed to him directly.

"I, Mohamed Emhamed Oun, hereby inform you that I will be away from the scene starting from today, Wednesday, which means that I will temporarily stop performing my duties as minister of oil and gas, until a statement issued by me later," he said in the video statement.

He said the matter should be resolved either by enabling him to carry out his duties as oil and gas minister or to issue a decision to dismiss him, according to legislation.

Oun said he wanted the situation clarified to avoid any confusion in oil operations and not distort "the good stereotype of the oil sector with internal differences and issues."