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Libyan Leader's Finances Are Under Siege

RENEE MONTAGNE, host:

In Libya, Moammar Gadhafis regime is under siege on the financial front. The regime is estimated to have some $32 billion in liquid assets, but it may now be difficult to get access to holdings that are abroad. The Swiss government has ordered its banks to freeze any assets linked to the Gadhafi family, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Its not clear how much the Libyan leader has stored in Switzerland. After one of his sons got into a legal dispute there in 2008, the Libyan government said it would withdraw all its deposits.

Most of the money is believed to be invested in Britain. The Telegraph of London says the British government is trying to trace any Gadhafi assets with an eye towards freezing them.

Among other holdings, Gadhafi has a mansion in London. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.