Politics

Tunisia-Poisoning of Kaïs Saïed with bread: case closed for lack of evidence

Tunisian presidential candidate Kais Saied poses for a picture with a national flag at his campaign headquarters in the capital Tunis on September 15, 2019, as exit polls ahead of the preliminary results for the polls predicted him to be "first in the first round". - Kais Saied, an independent 61-year-old law professor and expert on constitutional affairs, and jailed media mogul Nabil Karoui, behind bars due to a money laundering probe, the two anti-establishment candidates in Tunisia's divisive election on September 15, claimed to have won through to a runoff after polling closed in the country's second free presidential poll since the 2011 Arab Spring. (Photo by MOHAMED KHALIL / AFP)

Interim Justice Minister Hasna Ben Slimane announced today after a working meeting at the Justice Ministry that the cases reporting to the poisoning attempts against the President of the Kais Saied Republic were dropped due to a shortage of evidence.

Indeed, “the person involved ” (in reference to Nadia Akacha) declined to appear before the judicial authorities to share her version of the facts, according to the minister. This applies to the claimed assassination attempt against Kais Saied via poisoned bread as well as that of the poisoned package sent to Presidential Chief of Staff Nadia Akacha, the minister stated, in answer to questions posed by a group of lawmakers.

Concerning the latest accusations launched by the President of the Republic, the Minister declared that an inquiry was opened on June 17 by the judicial pole of the fight against terrorism, within the meaning of article 23 of the Criminal code.