Truth and Dignity Commission member Ebtihal Abdullatif confirmed suspicions of corruption surrounding the commission in the case of funds confiscated from former regime figures in Tunisia.
Launched in 2014, the Commission is tasked with ensuring that justice is guaranteed in the country during its democratic transition.
Suspicions include money laundering and wasting public funds during the presidency of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali with the complicity of state agencies. Ben Ali was ousted in 2011 after mass popular protests.
Commission chief Sihem Bensedrine had said that approximately TND745 million (around USD249 million) were stolen by former regime figures, but Abdullatif told Asharq Al-Awsat that the figure was only the “tip of the iceberg”.
She revealed that Slim Chiboub, Ben Ali’s son-in-law, accepted to pay TND307 million, Imed Trabelsi, another son-in-law and his wife’s brother, pledged to pay TND235 million, while Selim Zarrouk, a third son-in-law, will provide TND34 million.
These figures fall under the compensations set by the arbitration and reconciliation committee under the Truth and Dignity Commission.
Abdullatif said that these numbers are a fraction of the massive wealth the former regime acquired through the abuse of power.
She revealed that the audit team was unable to inspect all necessary documents due to pressure from the Commission that was seeking to prevent it from uncovering more violations.
She therefore demanded that the commission members come under closer and more comprehensive supervision in order uncover more violations than the ones revealed by the auditing department report.
Abdullatif had previously accused some members of the arbitration and reconciliation committee of having intersecting interests verging on corruption. She submitted her resignation in December 2018 soon after the revelation, but it was rejected.
On Bensedrine’s accusation that the commission had failed in its pursuit of transitional justice, Abdullatif said that those who make such allegations are the ones who object to the transition.
