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Tunisia Government Relaunches War on Corruption

File photo: Tunisians clash with riot police officers in Tataouine over joblessness. Zoubeir Souissi/Reuters
File photo: Tunisians clash with riot police officers in Tataouine over joblessness. Zoubeir Souissi/Reuters
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Tunisia Government Relaunches War on Corruption

File photo: Tunisians clash with riot police officers in Tataouine over joblessness. Zoubeir Souissi/Reuters
File photo: Tunisians clash with riot police officers in Tataouine over joblessness. Zoubeir Souissi/Reuters

The fight against corruption was back on the table, with the Tunisian government taking conclusive decisions mainly to refer 21 high-ranking customs employees to compulsory retirement on suspected graft.

Government sources confirmed that the decisions fall in line with the anti-corruption campaign launched by Tunisian Prime Minister Youssef Chahed in 2017. They also signal administrative disciplinary measures and a direct message to any civil servant who contemplates illegal actions.

Tunisian Minister of Public Service Mohamed Abbou took the decision on the customs employees in consultation with Finance Minister Nizar Yaiche.

Moreover, Yaiche issued several effective decisions while the government addressed the Customs administration to implement the mandatory retirement move.

However, some political parties and rights organizations insisted on referring the employees to the judiciary.

According to leaks, some female employees are also suspected of involvement in corruption.

The latest moves were made shortly after granting Abbou a government mandate to access all information and documents from relevant ministries as part of the fight against graft.

In a related context, head of the Media and Communication Unit of the First Instance Court in Tunis Mohsen Dali ordered a jail term in the case of Yassin al-Shanoufi, a businessman and former presidential candidate, for his involvement in financial corruption and money laundering. He was also fined TND9 million (around USD3 million).

Shanoufi was arrested in 2017 during Chahed’s term, along with 10 prominent Tunisian businessmen on several charges including financial corruption, tax evasion, and smuggling.

Ennahdha leader Abdellatif al-Makki described the current government as qualified to tackle political and economic reforms as well as fighting corruption.

Earlier, Prime Minister Elyes Fakhfakh stressed his intention to hold the corrupt accountable.

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Arab World

Houthi Charges of Espionage: A Tool to Intimidate, Control the Population

Houthis demonstrate in the center of the capital Sanaa against American and British strikes on their positions. (AP)
Houthis demonstrate in the center of the capital Sanaa against American and British strikes on their positions. (AP)
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Houthi Charges of Espionage: A Tool to Intimidate, Control the Population

Houthis demonstrate in the center of the capital Sanaa against American and British strikes on their positions. (AP)
Houthis demonstrate in the center of the capital Sanaa against American and British strikes on their positions. (AP)

The Houthi militia has recently released several individuals it had abducted for celebrating Yemen’s September Revolution. However, over the past few days, it has detained hundreds of residents in its stronghold of Saada, accusing them of espionage.

The campaign coincides with the airing of alleged confessions from a purported spy cell and the abduction of a former employee of the US Embassy in Yemen.

Local sources in Saada province, approximately 242 kilometers north of Sanaa, report that the Houthis have launched a widespread campaign of arrests targeting civilians. These individuals have been taken from their homes, workplaces, and businesses under allegations of collaborating with Western nations and Israel. Families of those detained have been warned to remain silent and refrain from discussing the arrests with the media or on social media platforms.

According to the sources, more than 300 individuals, including dozens of women, have been abducted across various districts in Saada. The arrests have also targeted relatives and associates of Othman Mujalli, a member of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, who hails from the region.

The sources suggest that the Houthis are detaining women as hostages to pressure their relatives, who may either be out of the militia’s reach or living outside Houthi-controlled areas. They also appear to be using the women to coerce confessions from male relatives. Last month, the Houthis accused Hamid Mujalli, Othman Mujalli’s brother, of engaging in espionage for Arab and Western nations for nearly two decades.

In a separate incident, the Houthis abducted a former employee of the US Embassy in Sanaa from his home on Monday without providing any explanation for their actions.

Release of Detainees

The Houthis recently released Sheikh Amin Rajeh, a tribal leader from Ibb province, after detaining him for four months. Several other individuals were also freed, none of whom had been formally charged during their detention. Rajeh, a member of the General People’s Congress Party, was one of many political activists, students, workers, and public employees abducted in September for celebrating Yemen’s September 26, 1962, revolution.

One of the released individuals, a shop owner, told Asharq Al-Awsat that he was unaware of the reason for his detention. He had been abducted in November, two months after the Houthis initiated a crackdown on those commemorating the revolution.

Alleged Spy Cell

Houthi-controlled media recently broadcast confessions from what they claimed was a newly uncovered spy cell. The group linked the cell to its broader narrative of “promised conquest and sacred jihad” against the West and Israel.

According to Houthi security officials, the alleged spy cell was working to compile a “target database,” monitor sites linked to missile forces and drones, and track specific military and security locations. They also claimed the cell had been observing the residences and movements of Houthi leaders.

In response, the Houthis issued warnings to residents, forbidding them from discussing or sharing information about militia-controlled sites, facilities, or the whereabouts of their leaders.

The Houthis’ actions reflect mounting concerns over potential strikes targeting their senior leadership, similar to the recent attacks on Hezbollah figures in Lebanon. Those fears come amid ongoing tensions with Israel, the United States, and the United Kingdom, following the Houthis’ assaults on international shipping lanes in the Red Sea and missile attacks on Israel.