A Tunisian court on Tuesday (July 5th) froze the bank accounts of several of the main opponents of President Kaïs Saïed, including Rached Ghannouchi, head of the dissolved Parliament and of the Islamo-conservative Ennahdha party.
The Tunisian Financial Analyzes Committee issued a press release informing the banks that they had to “immediately apply the decision of the investigating judge of the anti-terrorist pole”. Among those on this list are Rached Ghannouchi, his son Mouadh, former Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali, and former Foreign Minister Rafik Abdessalem, all of whom are prominent members of the Ennahdha party.
The press release did not mention the reasons for which this order had been given. A court had already imposed a travel ban on Rached Ghannouchi at the end of May as part of an investigation into obstruction of justice in connection with the assassinations of two opponents in 2013.
Hamadi. Jebali is under investigation for suspicion of “money laundering” in connection with transfers of funds from abroad to a charity in Tunisia. He was arrested at the end of June before being released four days later. He is due to appear in an anti-terrorism court on July 20.
The long political crisis experienced by Tunisia took a new turn in July 2021, when Kaïs Saïed assumed full powers by dismissing the Prime Minister and suspending Parliament, dominated by Ennahdha, causing the young democracy, cradle of the Arab Spring.
Last week, he unveiled a controversial draft new constitution in the face of accusations of authoritarian drift. It must be submitted to a referendum on July 25. This project grants vast powers to the Head of State, marking a radical break with the rather parliamentary system in place since 2014, a source of recurring conflicts between the executive and legislative branches.
