Tunisia-Misappropriation of public assets: Kaïs Saïed demands concrete actions

The meeting which took place this afternoon of Wednesday, November 15, 2023, at the Carthage Palace, between the President of the Republic, Kaïs Saïed, with Leïla Jaffel, Minister of Justice, and Sihem Namsiya, Minister of Finance, examined the issue of confiscated property and the manipulations which persist, leading to the abandonment or alienation of multiple goods at absurd prices for the profit of lobbies which have changed their face and have once again obtained the people’s goods in a roundabout way.

The President of State affirmed that this file lasted longer than required and must be closed. He insisted on the necessity to indict all those who sold confiscated property at ridiculous prices, quoting a case where a property in Hammamet was acquired for two million dinars and quickly sold for twenty million dinars.

The President of the Republic emphasised that the State will not remain idle, whether for this property or others, and that these people will be prosecuted as well as those who partook in this crime and who still think that they can alienate the people’s property.

In the same context, the President of the Republic underlined that the legal system put in place after January 14, 2011 has only led to more corruption and more significant alienation of the resources of the Tunisian people. He underscored that it is unacceptable for this file to remain open for more than two decades. Those who desire sincere reconciliation have the doors open before them, and those who want something else must assume their responsibility before justice.

The head of the state specified that a decree relating to criminal reconciliation will be altered so that the files do not remain unresolved, by avoiding the particular depreciation of confiscated property, but above all by stopping them from being neglected to the point of taking unfair advantage of it.

Similarly, the draft revision of Article 411 of the Commercial Code was examined so that all parties assume their responsibilities. The President of State recollected, in this context, that numerous texts, such as this article, had the goal of not attributing responsibility to financial institutions. The President of the Republic accentuated that the modification of this article in July 1977 was not fortuitous, but sought to protect financial institutions contrary to the text which existed until that date. These texts are part of the economic and financial choices of the time, which led to numerous social upheavals, from the protests of September 1977 to Black Thursday of January 26, 1978, and until the darkest Tuesday of 3 January 1984. These texts underlined social inequalities, and the State became hostage to the cartels which rallied with those who took power after January 14, 2011, until July 25, 2021.

The President of the Republic concluded by underlining that the people’s demands for accountability and purification of the country will not stay simple slogans, but must be concretized as quickly as possible through new laws based on justice and equity. Every millime obtained unfairly must return to the Tunisian state.