Qaddafi money search leads to British real estate firm

March 29, 2008: Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi drinks during the opening of the two-day Arab Summit in Damascus (Reuters)

More than two years after the death of Libyan strongman Muammar Qaddafi, current government officials are trying to reclaim the assets of the former dictator and his inner circle.

According to The Wall Street Journal, former Qaddafi aide Ali Dabaiba and his family have a stake in the high-end British real estate agency Chesterton Humberts, which was purchased in early 2011 during the Arab Spring.

Now, the paper reports, the Libyan government is investigating Dabaiba on suspicion of embezzlement and abuse of office.

Dabaiba, 68, ran a powerful Libyan government agency and was part of an inner circle called "Companions of the Leader," the Journal reported.

Libyan investigators have been pursuing holdings of people linked to the Qaddafi regime, and the Dabaiba ties to Chesterton Humberts is a rare example of a mainstream firm connected to assets of a post-dictatorship regime.

"The State of Libya believes that the estate agency Chesterton Humberts is part-owned by Ali Ibrahim Dabaiba or his brother or sons," said a document sent to a U.K. law-enforcement agency by investigators working for the Libyan government, the Journal reported.