Libya’s National Oil Corporation reportedly leaves office and heads to Tunisia

The chairman of Libya's National Oil Corporation (NOC) Shokri Ghanem has defected from Muammar Gaddafi's administration and fled to Tunisia, a Tunisian security source said on Tuesday. "He is in a hotel with a group of other Libyan officials," the Tunisian source told Reuters.

Libyan opposition fighting to end the leader's 41 years in power also said they had information that Ghanem, 68, had defected, a move that if confirmed would be a blow to Gaddafi in his drive to crush the opposition movement.

Revolutionists and Arab media reported on a previous occasion that US-educated Ghanem had stepped down, but he later re-appeared and said he was in his office and working as usual.

Opposition finance and oil minister Ali Tarhouni told Reuters on a visit to Doha that he understood Ghanem had left his post. He said he hoped to represent Libya at an OPEC meeting in June.

Since the start of unrest, Libya is estimated to have lost two thirds of its oil output.