As Muammar Qaddafi’s reign of terror presumably comes to an end (or comes close to an end), there is one part of his regime worth saving: the Libyan intelligence service’s files. Tyrants tend to be diligent record keepers, with vast bureaucracies recording every noteworthy misdeed. This is generally true for the dictators’ embassies abroad, as well as internal security organizations at home. Qaddafi was no different.

When Libyan rebels took over the embassy in London earlier this month, they pledged to turn over thousands of intelligence files to British authorities. The embassy there, as elsewhere, had acted as a “spy centre” for decades. The Telegraph (UK) was shown some of the files and reported that they document “payments to British individuals and companies.” The potential for uncovering shady, unethical or even illegal payments is palpable. Every oil rich dictator has sycophants and shameless opportunists on the payroll.