Libya's former energy minister, Omar Fathi Bin Shatwan, has defected to Malta, a Maltese government spokesman confirmed on Thursday, DPA reported.
Shatwan arrived in Malta last week on board a boat which had left Misurata, a Libyan city besieged by forces loyal to Moamer Gaddafi.
A Maltese Foreign Ministry spokesman told the German Press Agency dpa that Shatwan was in Malta, but would not provide further details.
Shatwan served as industry minister and chairman of the Libya- Malta mixed commission before leaving the Libyan government in 2007.
Last week, Libya's former foreign minister Musa Kusa defected to Britain.