Mohamed Takala, the President of the High Council of State, has issued a warning to Sadiq al-Kabir, the Governor of the Central Bank of Libya, regarding the recent approval of the general state budget law for the current year by the House of Representatives. In his letter, Takala urged al-Kabir not to implement the budget law, citing its “illegitimacy” and the High Council of State’s firm opposition to its approval. He emphasized the need to adhere to the correct legal processes.
Takala held the Central Bank Governor accountable for what he described as the “legal, historical, and ethical responsibility” for the potential political and economic repercussions of implementing the budget law. He warned that doing so could worsen the country’s crisis and deepen existing divisions, as well as negatively impact the state’s financial sustainability and the functioning of its institutions.
In his letter, Takala highlighted that the House’s approval of the budget violated the Libyan Political Agreement. This agreement requires the government, as the competent authority, to present the draft budget law to the High Council of State for its binding opinion before referring it to the House of Representatives for discussion and approval. Takala noted that the government must follow these steps, and if it fails to do so, the budget should not be discussed. He asserted that this process was not followed in the current instance.
Furthermore, the letter reaffirmed that the High Council of State had previously informed the Speaker of the House of Representatives of its rejection of the decisions made in the referenced House session, deeming them legally ineffective for not adhering to the proper procedures required for passing the state budget law according to the applicable legislation.
