SAIF AL-ISLAM AL-QADDAFI
Saif al-Qaddafi, the Western-educated son of Libya's eccentric leader Muammar al-Qaddafi, may well be in line to take over the country when his father eventually relinquishes power. In the meantime, though, the current regime seems to be working out pretty well for Saif. According to a May 2006 State Department cable, the younger Qaddafi personally benefits from corruption in the North African republic, even as he styles himself a reformer. The cable points out that while Saif's "quasi-NGO" is ostensibly pushing for greater press freedoms within Libya by opening the country to foreign publications, the "Qadhafi family will clearly accrue significant financial gains from having exclusive rights to distribute foreign press in Libya, as well as effective censorship over any troubling articles that might appear." According to the cable, Saif isn't the only Qaddafi making money off his father's rule: Nearly every member of the family benefits in one way or another.
MAHMUD TURKIA/AFP/Getty Images
SUBJECTS:
(2)
HIDE COMMENTS LOGIN OR REGISTER REPORT ABUSE