On Tuesday, the Tripoli-based government of Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh appointed a new chairman of Libya’s state oil company.
Libyan Oil Ministry spokesperson Ahmad Jumaa said, “Farhat Omar Bengdara was appointed chairman of the National Oil Corporation (NOC), replacing Mustafa Sanalla.”
Four new board members of the oil company were also appointed, he stated.
Since 2015, although disputes emerged recently between him and Oil Minister Mohamed Aoun, who accused the former NOC chairman of hiding reports about oil production and revenues, Sanalla had headed the NOC.
Between 2006 and 2011, Bengdara served as the governor of Libya’s central bank.
Due to the closure of most of the country’s oil fields and ports, Libya’s crude oil production has decreased to between 100,000 and 200,000 barrels a day.
Libya was producing around 1.2 million crude oil barrels a day prior to the closure.
