HOUSTON, (Reuters) – The Libyan government had  invested $500 million of its cash reserves with accused  swindler Allen Stanford’s firm as of late 2008, a court filing  showed yesterday.

And Stanford and Andrea Stoelker, his girlfriend, flew to  Tripoli on Jan. 25, 2009 because Libya was considering  increasing the amount it had invested with him, according to a  court document.

Stanford met with several officials, including Mohamed  Layas, chief executive officer of the Libyan Investment  Authority, the filing said.

A representative from the Libyan embassy in Washington was  not immediately available to comment. It was not clear whether  the investment was recouped before the U.S. government  shuttered Stanford’s network of financial firms.

U.S. prosecutors cited the 2009 trip to Libya at a day-long  detention hearing before a federal judge in Houston on June 29  as evidence that Stanford was a flight risk, but Stanford’s  attorney said it was a regular business trip.

The Texas financier, who faces criminal and civil charges  related to a $7 billion fraud, was ordered by U.S. District  Judge David Hittner to remain in custody until his trial last  week.

Dick DeGuerin, Stanford’s lawyer, is fighting that order  and asked the judge to reconsider it in the court filing yesterday.