A second shipping executive was arrested Monday on charges of falsifying documents to conceal the delivery of construction materials and chemical products to Libya.
The government, meanwhile, announced restrictions on the export of chemicals to several countries. The countries were not named, but Libya presumably is on the list.
The authorities acted after Bonn admitted that West German companies might have helped build a chemical plant at Rabta, south of the Libyan capital of Tripoli, which the United States said is producing poison gas.
Last Thursday, police arrested Louis Gedopt, 44, director general of the Antwerp-based Cross Link Shipping Co. He is suspected of having contacts with the German firms trading to Libya.
Gedopt has been charged with falsifying cargo manifests for several European firms that tried to circumvent restrictions on the export of “sensitive substances” to Libya.
The shipping executive arrested Monday on similar charges was not immediately identified.
As the Year Turns, Support the Journalism You Trust. JTA covers the stories shaping Jewish life around the world — with the depth this moment calls for. As you reflect on the year ahead, consider a gift that keeps independent Jewish journalism strong.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
