Russian federal news agency said the “head of the Fund for the Protection of National Values (FZNTs)” Maxim Shugaley, who was detained in Libya since May 2019 on charges of espionage and then released in December 2020, did not receive an observer accreditation for the presidential and parliamentary elections in Libya, scheduled for December 24, adding that Tripoli responded with an official refusal to Shugaley’s application.
The news agency reported Shugaley as saying that “he learned that he was convicted in Libya without trial and investigation.” He also said that “If (Libyans) hold elections honestly and openly, what are you afraid of.”
“For more than a year and a half, he was held without charge. Diplomats from the Russian Federation tried to resolve the situation through negotiations, and the FZNTs and public activists carried out support actions. Shugaley was released on December 10, 2020.” The news agency added.
In last October, Wall Street Journal revealed that Shugaley was in Afghanistan to achieve the goals of Russia in there.
The newspaper said Shugaley, a shadowy figure working for Kremlin ally and Wagner group owner Yevgeniy Prigozhin, whom the US holds responsible for interfering in the 2016 election, was working in Afghanistan to defy US and French influences in there.
It also added that he made headlines when he and his translator were arrested in Libya in May 2019, being accused of offering to help Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi make a political comeback.
Libyan officials said Shugaley conducted opinion surveys to gauge public support for a presidential run by Gaddafi, part of a broader Russian effort to build political support in Libya, where Moscow had signed billions of dollars of deals that were lost when Gaddafi was toppled.
Shugaley reported directly to Prigozhin’s organization while in Libya, according to Libyan officials and emails seen by the Journal. The officials said he admitted during questioning to entering the country on false pretenses and making plans to interfere with elections that are now planned for December 24.
