Tunisia: 42m dinars of its funds smuggled abroad

Tunisia will retrieve over the next few days about 42 million Tunisian dinars ( about USD 28 million) of its funds smuggled into Lebanon, it was announced here today. Advisor to the Tunisian Minister of Justice Mohammed al-Askari said in a statement that preparations are underway to complete the procedures to convert this amount to the Tunisian state treasury. On the other hand all judicial proceedings related to the recovery of a yacht of Qays bin Ali, the nephew of former President from Italy after the completion of the maintenance process, adding that the yacht of Belhassen Al Trabelsi, brother of the wife of former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali will also be returned in the near future from Spain. Regarding the funds frozen in Switzerland, Al Askari expressed hope that the Federal Court would ratify the judgment of the public prosecutor in Barn, explaining that it has been recognized that funds frozen in Switzerland has been derived from corruption, explaining that members of the family of the former President have failed hitherto to prove the legitimacy of the source of these funds which will be confiscated and retrieved soon