The case of Swiss businessman Max Goldi made headlines world-wide when he spent months in a Libyan jail, a bystander in a controversy between Libya's ruling Gaddafi family and Switzerland. What worries Western foreigners working in Libya is that his case is not so unusual. Most worry that one day they might wake up and find themselves at the centre of an international tussle that has nothing to do with them.
Goldi was put on trial in 2008 for alleged visa offences. This happened just after Swiss police had temporarily arrested Hannibal Gaddafi, the son of Libayn ruler Moamer Gaddafi, on suspicion of abusing his housekeeping staff. Last spring, European diplomats went through weeks of negotiations with Libya over Goldis release. In the process, they also managed to get Libya to lift a travel ban for all Europeans from the Schengen area, a policy instituted as a tit-for-tat measure by Libya during the row. But it only shows how actions taken against Libyans in Europe can often have unexpected implications for Europeans working in Libya.
For example, Germany's federal public prosecutor recently had three Libyan nationals, who allegedly spied on members of the Libyan opposition in Germany, arrested. This is not extraordinary: most Arab secret services investigate their communities in exile in Europe. But independent observers are now anxiously watching to see whether the German action might have ramifications for some unsuspecting German in Libya.
Nobody has the illusion that they are untouchable here," says the German representative of an international company in Tripoli. He adds not even if you try to stick to the law." The representative of a construction company also warns that small and medium-sized companies from Germany should not take the chance to settle in Libya at all, because you need full pockets and a lot of patience here."
Bills issued by the foreign firms are often paid with a delay of five to 12 months. To avoid attempts of extortion by competitors and civil servants, big companies normally find a local partner with good connections to the family of the revolutionary leader.
Two recent events have raised special concern among the expatriate community here. First, the Belgian manager of a hotel and restaurant in Tripoli was recently put into prison after summary proceedings. Libyan employees of the hotel had allegedly sent the public health authorities after him because they had enough of being bossed around by their foreign manager.
Those authorities turned up during festivities with illustrious Libyan guests. Heading straight to one specific table, they found cans of lemonade past their expiration date. The Belgian manager was arrested immediately. He was only released after Brussels intervened. A compatriot, who had met the manager in Tripoli, states that prison time was hard for him."
The story of five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor drew even more attention. The group had been sentenced to death in Libya before they were eventually allowed to leave the country in 2007. Several children had fallen ill with AIDS after hygiene flaws were discovered in a hospital in Bengasi. The nurses and the doctor were sentenced to death for having intentionally infected the children.
The ban on visas from European countries was another source of concern. It started when Switzerland banned several prominent Libyans as a reaction to Goldi's incarceration. But, since Switzerland is part of the Schengen zone, those officials were blocked from travelling to large parts of Europe. In return Gaddafi banned all Europeans from the Schengen area from entering Libya this spring.
The visa ban had severe consequences for Europeans residing in Libya, but who were outside the country when the ban was installed. They were not able to return to their workplaces in Libyan schools, construction companies, hotels or oil companies. Foreigners who were inside Libya did not dare to leave the country. Nobody knew when the ban would be lifted. We were literally stuck here for two months, it was quite a strange feeling," one of them explains.
The downsides of life in the North African country were partly compensated by the solidarity within the foreigners community ... and good salaries. Others turned to friendships in the local community. But many also retreat to gated communities, like Palm City, just outside Tripoli. A studio rental costs 2,150 euros per month (2,900 dollars). A villa with pool runs for 9,600 euros. That money pay for backup generators which run during blackouts. Another perk: behind the communities' gates, women need not worry about headscarves. Palm City, opened in 2009, caters almost exclusively to foreigners. According to Palm Citys manager, Chris Fenech, rents are paid directly by employers in 95 per cent of cases.