Sailors deported following diplomatic spat

Seven Filipino sailors who were accused of smuggling Libyan fuel have been released and deported. Presidential Adviser on Overseas Filipino Affairs Abdullah Mamao defused the matter after meeting with Libyan Foreign Minister Mohammed Sayala in Tripoli. The Libyan Supreme Court in November acquitted the men who were among the 20 Filipinos arrested after the Libyan Coast Guard boarded and seized the Liberian-flagged M/T Levante while it was anchored in international waters. The Libyan Observer reports that a lower court had earlier sentenced them to four years imprisonment.