WikiLeaks: Qaddafi’s ‘nephew’ working for Daniel Ortega?

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega has been one of the few world leaders to staunchly defend Libyan leader Muammar al-Qaddafi in recent weeks. The close bond between the Libyan and Nicaraguan governments was demonstrated in March when Qaddafi took the unusual step of appointing former Nicaraguan Foreign Minister Miguel d’Escoto Brockman to represent him at the United Nations.

Two U.S. diplomatic cables from 2007, released by WikiLeaks, express concern about Qaddafi’s influence in Managua, suggesting that he may have funded Ortega’s election campaign.The first cable, dated January 3, 2007,  discusses the influence of Ortega’s Libyan personal secretary Mohamad Lashtar:

The Ambassador raised concerns regarding Ortega’s choice of former Libyan/naturalized Nicaraguan Muhamad Muhktar Lashtar as his personal secretary, noting that Lashtar was a commercial attache at the Libyan embassy in Managua in the 1980s and reportedly associated with Libyan intelligence. Lacayo, who shared the Ambassador’s concern, remarked that Pepe Mathus, a former Contra (associated with the Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance, ALN) who has been involved in some business dealings with Lashtar, told Lacayo recently that the Libyan Embassy had informed him that Lashtar no longer maintains any relation with the embassy. PolCouns shared that Lashtar is reportedly Moammar al-Ghadafi’s nephew.

The Nicaraguan media has picked up on the "nephew" angle this week, though there doesn’t seem to be much other information otu there about Lashtar to confirm it.

A second cable from three days later relates a discussion the ambassador had with a prominent Sandanista defector: 

The Ambassador raised concerns regarding Ortega’s choice of personal secretary –former Libyan/naturalized Nicaraguan Muhamad Muhktar Lashtar. Martinez Cuenca confided that Lashtar arrived in Managua in 1989 and reported directly to Moammar al-Ghadafi’s security unit that operates independently from the Libyan government. Further, through Lashtar, Libyan monies have maintained Ortega for years and Ortega’s national and popular council model is based on the Libyan "Green Book," claimed Martinez Cuenca.

Granted, this is coming from someone with a grudge against Ortega and however mismanaged Nicaragua may be under Ortega, it doesn’t look too much like the Libyan political model. But the fallout from this should be interesting to watch.