Libyans tried 'fire sale'in Britain prior to expulsion Mercedes, limos

LONDON - Libyan diplomats in London attempted a "fire sale" of properties and expensive cars worth up to $160-million in the days leading up to their expulsion, intelligence sources have disclosed.
Embassy officials who have since been ordered out of the country tried to sell nine properties and 29 vehicles, including limousines and Mercedes.
Britain announced last month it was recognizing the rebel National Transitional Council
as Libya's only legitimate government and would expel the remaining diplomats working for the regime of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.
the Libyan opposition based in Benghazi, were tipped off by British intelligence sources that the "fire sale" had begun. Anti-Gaddafi embassy staff frantically began to hide car keys and lock away title deeds for the homes. The British Treasury is said to have stepped in and frozen the sale of all Libyan assets in Britain.
The embassy in Knightsbridge, central London, was reopened by th
on Tuesday. The houses and apartments Col. Gaddafi's officials attempted to sell included properties in Mayfair and Kensington, London, as well as estates near the British capital.
Col. Gaddafi's henchmen apparently became so desperate to raise cash that even Persian carpets and televisions were sold. Other Libyan embassies across Europe are also reported to be trying to raise money for the "cash-strapped" regime in Tripoli.
More countries are likely to announce next week they will free up frozen assets for the use of rebels in Libya, a British official said Thursday, adding economic and military pressure had left the Libyan leader "desperate."
This week, authorities in the United Arab Emirates handed over a cargo plane to the rebels. The four-engine Ilyushin-76TD aircraft arrived in Benghazi on Wednesday, said Colonel Abdel Nasser Bousnina, an
spokesman. Last month, London unfroze $145-million of assets held by Arabian Gulf Oil Co. in Britain.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the senior official said steps taken by other governments meant Col. Gaddafi and his supporters were nearing a "tipping point" when they would be forced from power.