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Tripoli, 17 May:
A hotel complex and land belonging to the Qaddafi family on the Italian island of Pantelleria between Sicily and . . .[restrict]Tunisia were sized on Wednesday by police. The property is said to be worth €20 million.
The seizure is the latest of Qaddafi assets in Italy by the authorities there. In March, following a request from the International Criminal Court in The Hague, stakes in Fiat, in oil company Eni, football club Juventus, UniCredit bank and defence group Finmeccanica as well as property were seized.
The ICC and Italy say the assets, registered in the name of the Libyan Investment Authority (LIA), were held by it on behalf of the Qaddafi family. The LIA, however, says that the assets were its legitimate property and is planning legal proceedings to recover them.
It has been widely reported on Pantellaria that the 150-hectare property was being developed as a holiday village by the Qaddafi family. [/restrict]
