Woman Urges Malta To Help Find Her Missing Partner After Suspected Libya Kidnapping And Detainment
A Maltese man has been missing for more than a month in Libya and his family believe that he is being held by a militia in the country. His partner is begging Maltese authorities to take action and bring him home.
Jesmond Vella, who has been living in Libya for eight years, was first reported missing on 5th April 2021. His family believe he might still be alive, but their hopes for a peaceful resolution grow dimmer each day.
Government sources have suggested that Vella may also have been detained by authorities, but could not confirm with absolute certainty. There exist fears that Vella could have suffered a severe beating and Libyan authorities are reluctant to present him to the family or Maltese officials.
His Maltese partner, who spoke to Lovin Malta from Libya, detailed how Vella, who works as a mechanic, had left home earlier that morning. She went on with her day, catching up with several household errands. She last spoke to Vella at 3pm on the phone, urging him to drive safely because of bad weather.
When she returned home, she discovered Vella’s car parked in the driveway. His keys were still in the ignition and his cigarettes were left on the driver seat.
Vella’s partner frantically called relatives looking for the missing man. The local police were called soon after and a missing person’s report was filed.
Libya, Vella’s partner explains, remains tense following several civil wars and the appearance of militias across the war-torn country. The couple and their family reside in a small part of Zwara, “where everyone knows everyone”, she says.
His family are steadfast in their belief that Vella was kidnapped by one of the militias in the country.
They believe Vella is currently being held by a militia outside of Tripoli. Bureaucracy and a breakdown in communication are proving troublesome for local authorities and the family, who fear that Vella is in grave danger and may never return home.
Jesmond Vella
Government sources put forward a separate theory. After communication with Libyan authorities, they believe that Vella was arrested and detained in connection to a drug trafficking issue.
However, they are yet to positively identify Vella with the Libyan authorities reluctant to provide Maltese officials from the Embassy with a face to face visit with Vella. There are fears that Vella may have suffered a beating or torture in the still unstable Libya.
Vella’s partner has reached out to Malta’s Prime Minister, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the Maltese Embassy in Libya, and Malta’s Police for assistance. However, she says she has been faced with either a lack of reply or a reluctance to take the issue head-on. Sources insist that the Embassy is working hard to resolve the issue.
She explains that Vella had first moved to Libya eight years ago, openly admitting that he was facing cannabis-related drug charges in Malta, which she maintains he was innocent over. She joined him, along with the rest of their children, a few months later.
The Vellas led a simple life in Libya – first running a cafeteria before Vella moved on to open his own garage to serve as a mechanic for boats in the seaside town.
Vella’s partner had no problem conceding that past mistakes may have been made but maintained that Vella and the rest of the family remained Maltese citizens and required some urgent assistance.
“I don’t care if they find him, take him back to Malta, and he goes to prison, all I want is for him to be safe,” she says.
Prime Minister Robert Abela with his Libyan counterpart Abdul Hamid Dbeibah on 5th April 2021
It’s easy to see why she might have hope that the help of the Maltese government will ensure the safety of Vella. Prime Minister Robert Abela and Foreign Affairs Minister Evarist Bartolo enjoying improved relations with Libya – working with the UN-backed government there to find better working solutions to the migration crisis.
Ties between the two countries also stretch back with many Maltese enjoying strong business relationships in the country before the fall of Gaddafi.
Vella’s family still hopes he can be returned home safely – and believe that government intervention is their only solution.
Share this story to get the message out there
READ NEXT: ‘What A Joke’: Maltese Sixth Form Student Distraught As Post-Sec Reopening Ignored Again
