The Libyan strongman is believed to have poured hundreds of billions of dollars in unstable African nations, with reports that Gaddafi even holding a major stake in a Zimbabwe’s giant commercial bank.

 

All these come on top of billions of dollars that Libya has stashed away in the United States’ largest and most influential investment banks. Libya and its maverick leader are sitting on huge stockpiles of cash dollars. When UN lifted its economic sanctions on Libya in 2003, Gaddafi and his financial experts created a sovereign wealth fund, which today ranks among the world’s largest and reported to be worth USD 60 billion.

The Libyan leader had about USD 32 billion in liquidity stored in US banks and in nearby Canada, his investments include taking over a oil-rig company Verenex Energy for USD 320 million.

The Libyan dictator’s assets in Italy included stake in oil giant Eni, defence company Finmeccanica and UniCredit, Italy’s largest bank.

The Libyans also have 7.5 per cent stake in Juventus. Financial experts say that they have only touched the tip of the iceberg as they believe that his major investments are held through proxy names.

The demise of a man who was the owner of such immense wealth was an inglorious one in which he was reportedly begging, “Don’t shoot me, don’t shoot me” as he was caught by rebel forces inside a pipeline while trying to flee Libya.