“The contract within the framework of which the batch of banknotes was made was concluded by Goznak with the Central Bank of Libya located in Tobruk,” they said there, emphasizing that the Central Bank’s right in Tobruk was secured in 2016 by a decision of the Government of National Unity (Tripoli) .
Goznak noted that the banknotes made are a modified series of previous banknotes and have visual differences compared to them, they were confirmed by representatives of the Central Bank of Libya, therefore, "the use of the term" fake "in relation to these banknotes is unreasonable and unlawful."
In addition, the supply of this circulation was the subject of consideration within the framework of the Expert Commission on Libya under the UN Security Council, which did not find violations of sanctions in the relations of this country.
“In violation of international law, Malta’s customs in September 2019 detained containers containing banknotes belonging to the Central Bank of Libya,” the Goznak statement said.
It is emphasized that only in May 2020The Maltese customs authorities responded with a statement “the content of which substantially distorts the actual circumstances of the relationship between Goznak JSC and the Central Bank of Libya”.
On May 29, the State Department released a message stating that a batch of Libyan currency with a nominal value of $ 1.1 billion was intercepted in Malta.
The Russian Foreign Ministry commented on this statement, noting that the money in question is necessary to maintain the stable functioning of the entire Libyan economy.