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Tunisia’s Anti-terrorism Police Detain Former PM Larayedh

Ali Larayedh (C) Secretary General of the Tunisian party Ennahda and former Tunisian prime minister speaks while surrounded by his supporters, upon his arrival for questioning by anti-terrorism police, in Tunis,Tunisia, 19 September 2022. (EPA)
Ali Larayedh (C) Secretary General of the Tunisian party Ennahda and former Tunisian prime minister speaks while surrounded by his supporters, upon his arrival for questioning by anti-terrorism police, in Tunis,Tunisia, 19 September 2022. (EPA)
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Tunisia’s Anti-terrorism Police Detain Former PM Larayedh

Ali Larayedh (C) Secretary General of the Tunisian party Ennahda and former Tunisian prime minister speaks while surrounded by his supporters, upon his arrival for questioning by anti-terrorism police, in Tunis,Tunisia, 19 September 2022. (EPA)
Ali Larayedh (C) Secretary General of the Tunisian party Ennahda and former Tunisian prime minister speaks while surrounded by his supporters, upon his arrival for questioning by anti-terrorism police, in Tunis,Tunisia, 19 September 2022. (EPA)

Tunisia's anti-terrorism police detained for one day Ali Larayedh, a former prime minister and senior official in the Islamist opposition Ennahda party, after an investigation into suspicions of sending extremists to Syria, lawyers said on Tuesday.

In the same case, the police postponed the hearing of Ennahda leader and speaker of the dissolved parliament Rached Ghannouchi to midday on Tuesday, after waiting for about 14 hours.

It is expected that Larayedh will appear before a judge on Wednesday, lawyer Mokthar Jmayi told Reuters.

"We are shocked. The file is completely empty and without any evidence", Samir Dilou, another lawyer said.

Ennahda denies accusations of terrorism, calling it a political attack on a foe of President Kais Saied.

Ghannouchi, 81, has accused Saied of an anti-democratic coup since he seized most powers last summer, shutting down the parliament and moving to rule by decree, powers he has largely formalized with a new constitution ratified in a July referendum.

Last month, several former security officials and two Ennahda members were arrested on charges connected to Tunisians traveling to fight for extremist groups.

Security and official sources estimated that around 6,000 Tunisians traveled to Syria and Iraq last decade to join radical groups including ISIS. Many were killed there while others escaped and returned to Tunisia.

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Syrian Caretaker Government to Hike Public Sector Salaries by 400% Next Month

Graffiti of the Syrian revolution flag is painted on a mosaic of former Syrian President Hafez al-Assad after the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria January 2, 2025. (Reuters)
Graffiti of the Syrian revolution flag is painted on a mosaic of former Syrian President Hafez al-Assad after the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria January 2, 2025. (Reuters)
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Syrian Caretaker Government to Hike Public Sector Salaries by 400% Next Month

Graffiti of the Syrian revolution flag is painted on a mosaic of former Syrian President Hafez al-Assad after the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria January 2, 2025. (Reuters)
Graffiti of the Syrian revolution flag is painted on a mosaic of former Syrian President Hafez al-Assad after the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria January 2, 2025. (Reuters)

Syria's finance minister said on Sunday the government would hike salaries for many public sector employees by 400% next month after completing an administrative restructuring of ministries to boost efficiency and accountability.

The increase, estimated to cost 1.65 trillion Syrian pounds, or about $127 million at current rates, will be financed by existing state resources plus a combination of regional aid, new investments, and efforts to unfreeze Syrian assets held abroad.

"(This is) the first step towards an emergency solution to the economic reality in the country," Mohammed Abazeed, the finance minister in Syria's caretaker government, told Reuters, adding that this month's wages for public sector staff would be paid out this week.

These measures are part of a broader strategy by Syria's new caretaker government to stabilize the country's economy following 13 years of conflict and sanctions.

Salaries of Syria's public sector employees under toppled President Bashar al-Assad's regime were around $25 a month, putting them below the poverty line, along with the majority of the country's population, Abazeed said.

The hike would follow a comprehensive evaluation of up to 1.3 million registered public sector employees to remove fictitious employees from the payroll and would affect those with sufficient expertise, academic qualifications, and the necessary skills for reconstruction.

Syria's state treasury is facing liquidity challenges emerging from a war. The majority of money available in the central bank is Syrian currency, which has lost much of its value. However, the new government was promised assistance from regional and Arab countries, the minister said.

"The launch of investments in the country in the near future will also benefit the state treasury and allow us to finance this salary increase," he said, adding the central bank currently has sufficient funds to finance the next few months.

The government expects to retrieve up to $400 million in frozen Syrian assets abroad, which could co-finance the initial government expenses.

Syria's caretaker government is also discussing exempting taxpayers, as much as possible, from penalties and interest and working on overhauling the tax system within the next three months to achieve tax justice for all taxpayers, with a first draft expected within four months.

"By the end of this year, we expect having a well-designed tax system that takes the interests of all taxpayers into account," he added.