Family with no answers after Libyan militia arrests Maltese over trafficking claims

Jesmond Vella, aged 45, known as Il-Bulgaru, was arrested at Zuwarah on suspicion of human smuggling and drug trafficking on 5 April

Jesmond Vella (inset) is believed to have been arrested by the RADA militia
Jesmond Vella (inset) is believed to have been arrested by the RADA militia

The family of a Maltese man arrested in Libya a month ago has raised concerns about his wellbeing.

Jesmond Vella, aged 45, known as Il-Bulgaru, was arrested at Zuwarah on suspicion of human smuggling and drug trafficking on 5 April.

The operation was carried out by the Rada Special Deterrence Forces, in what was initially feared to be a kidnapping. It appears the order of the arrest came from the Libyan Attorney General.

Vella had been living in the coastal city of Zuwarah with his Maltese wife for eight years.

The Maltese ambassador to Libya, Charles Saliba, has said Vella has not yet been formally charged with the crime. 

Lovin Malta reported that Vella, a mechanic, may have suffered a beating or torture in a country still reeling with unrest.

Vella’s wife said he had been kidnapped and is currently being held by a militia outside of Tripoli.

But the Maltese authorities and the family are finding it hard to deal with the bureaucracy and gain access to Vella, who could be kept under arrest at the Rada headquarters at Mitiga airport.

In October 2015, the Rada militia freed Noel Sciberras, the director of CT Parks in Libya, a company which administers car parks, after being abducted by a gang in Tajoura. He was released by the Rada militia after being held for over 46 days.

Tripoli’s Rada Special Deterrence Force had also arrested one of the biggest Libyan fuel smugglers and human traffickers: Fahmi Salim Musa Bin Khalifa from Zuwara, dubbed the “king of smuggling”, who was at the centre of Operation Dirty Oil, a €30 million Maltese-Libyan fuel smuggling ring.