LIBYA · TRIPOLI · IDENTITY FRAUD
Key Facts
- —What happened Libya’s attorney general disclosed on 13 October that more than 315,000 national identification numbers were issued in breach of the law, and that thousands of passports were obtained with forged data.
- —Money frozen 84.5 million dinars (about US$13.2 million) in salaries and pensions, nearly US$25 million in foreign currency allocations and nearly 4 million dinars (about US$600,000) in family grants.
- —The cases 34,022 family records examined, 4,587 cases under preliminary investigation, 421 cases sent to court, 557 defendants charged and 44 convictions so far.
- —Documents cancelled 442 family records struck off, 8,662 national numbers suspended, 1,855 passports ordered withdrawn and 571 voter cards withdrawn or suspended.
- —US link A June 2025 US presidential proclamation fully suspended entry for Libyan nationals, citing the lack of a competent authority issuing passports and civil documents, and a December 2025 proclamation kept that ban in place.
- —Elections The United States and European governments backed an August deal on rebuilding the board of Libya’s election commission, and clean voter records are part of that test.
Libya’s attorney general said on Tuesday, 13 October, that more than 315,000 national identification numbers had been issued unlawfully, in a review of citizenship records across the country. Al-Siddiq Al-Sour told a seminar in Tripoli on threats to national identity data that thousands of passports had also been obtained with falsified information, and that public money paid out on the strength of those records had been frozen.
The findings matter beyond Libya because the national number is what links a Libyan to state payments, from salaries to foreign currency at official rates, and because Washington has cited Libya’s unreliable documents as a reason to bar its citizens. They also land as the United Nations and Western governments push Libya toward national elections that depend on a clean voter roll.
What the Attorney General Found
Al-Sour said the review found gaps between the database of the Civil Registry Authority, which keeps birth and family records, and the separate database of national identification numbers. Libya Observer reported that he also found mismatches between voter registration and presidential election records and the civil registry.
Investigators have examined 34,022 family records, and 4,587 cases remain under preliminary investigation. Prosecutors have sent 421 cases to court and brought proceedings against 557 defendants, and courts have so far handed down 44 convictions.
The Public Prosecution has struck off 442 family records and suspended 8,662 national identification numbers. It has also ordered 1,855 passports withdrawn and has withdrawn or suspended 571 voter cards.
The Money Behind the Numbers
The attorney general said more than 84.5 million Libyan dinars (about US$13.2 million) in salaries and basic pensions had been frozen. Nearly US$25 million in foreign currency allocations and nearly 4 million dinars (about US$600,000) in family grant payments were also blocked.
Together that comes to about US$38 million, converting the dinar sums at the 13 October closing rate of 6.4015 dinars per dollar. The sum is modest for an oil producer, but it shows how a false national number becomes a regular claim on public funds.
Hard currency is already tight. The Central Bank of Libya said on 8 October that oil revenue and royalties reached US$17.6 billion in the first nine months of 2026, while foreign currency spending and commitments reached US$22.3 billion, a gap of US$4.7 billion.
Who Is Who
Al-Siddiq Al-Sour is Libya’s attorney general and heads the Public Prosecution, which runs criminal investigations across the country. The Civil Registry Authority keeps Libyans’ birth, family and citizenship records, while a separate database assigns each citizen the national number used for state payments.
The High National Elections Commission runs voter registration and national votes. Libya has had rival governments since 2014, with the Government of National Unity in Tripoli and an administration in the east allied with the Libyan National Army, which the Haftar family commands.
What It Means for US Readers
A June 2025 US presidential proclamation fully suspended the entry of Libyan nationals as immigrants and visitors, with limited exceptions. It stated that “there is no competent or cooperative central authority for issuing passports or civil documents in Libya.”
A second proclamation on 16 December 2025 kept Libya under the full restriction, and the June order requires the Secretary of State to report every 180 days on whether each suspension should continue, end or change. Tuesday’s figures point to the scale of the document problem Washington described, but they also show Libyan prosecutors cancelling records and taking cases to court.
The United States joined European governments on 26 August in welcoming an agreement among Libyan parties, reached in Tunis on 20 August, on rebuilding the board of the election commission and on an electoral framework. Withdrawn voter cards and mismatches with earlier election records are now part of what that process has to resolve.
The State Department keeps Libya at Level 4, Do Not Travel, and says there is currently no US embassy in Libya. Americans there must turn to the US Embassy in Tunis for routine consular help, because Washington cannot offer emergency services inside Libya.
What Is Not Known
Reports of the speech do not say over what period the 315,000 numbers were issued, who issued them or whether officials were paid to do so. Only 8,662 numbers have been suspended so far, and no timetable has been given for the rest.
Reports also differ on some figures, such as how many passports failed data-quality checks, given as 710 in one account and more than 7,600 in another. The Rio Times could not find a full written report from the Public Prosecution.
What Comes Next
The 4,587 cases still under preliminary investigation could lead to more prosecutions and more cancelled documents. Any national vote will need a voter roll that the election commission can defend against these findings.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Libya’s attorney general find?
He said more than 315,000 national identification numbers were issued in breach of the law and thousands of passports were obtained with forged data. Prosecutors have frozen salaries, pensions, foreign currency allocations and family grants linked to the fraud.
How much money has been frozen?
More than 84.5 million dinars (about US$13.2 million) in salaries and pensions, nearly US$25 million in foreign currency allocations and nearly 4 million dinars (about US$600,000) in family grants were frozen. That is about US$38 million in total.
Can Libyans travel to the United States?
A June 2025 presidential proclamation fully suspended the entry of Libyan nationals as immigrants and visitors, with limited exceptions, and a December 2025 proclamation kept that ban in place. The June order cited the lack of a competent authority issuing passports and civil documents in Libya.
Does this affect Libya’s elections?
The attorney general found mismatches between voter and presidential election records and the civil registry, and 571 voter cards have been withdrawn or suspended. Clean records matter for the elections that the UN and Western governments, including the United States, are pushing for.
Sources: Libyan News Agency (LANA), the attorney general’s findings, 13 October 2026, Libya Observer, 315,000 unlawfully issued national ID numbers, 13 October 2026, LANA, Central Bank of Libya revenue and spending statement, 8 October 2026, The White House, Proclamation restricting the entry of foreign nationals, 4 June 2025, The White House, Proclamation restricting and limiting the entry of foreign nationals, 16 December 2025, US Embassy Libya, joint statement on Libya’s political process, 26 August 2026, US Embassy Libya, Travel Advisory Level 4, 31 August 2026. All retrieved 14 October 2026. Exchange rate: 13 October 2026 close, 6.4015 Libyan dinars per US dollar.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief