Tunisian PM: frozen Ben Ali Swiss funds are ‘peanuts’

Tunisia’s Prime Minister Youssef Chahed hopes to drum up political and economic support in Davos Keystone

Tunisia’s Prime Minister Youssef Chahed has more important things to do in Davos than chase the CHF60 million ($59 million) in assets stolen by the Ben Ali regime – frozen in Swiss banks for the past six years.

“Politically speaking it’s sensitive and important for the Tunisian population,” he told swissinfo.ch at the World Economic Forum’s gala event. “This money belongs to the Tunisian people. But it’s peanuts compared to our national budget.”

He added: “This is not the primary goal of my visit. Switzerland is only one country in the world where there are frozen assets from the previous regime. It’s a global issue.”

The CHF60 million haul remains frustratingly beyond the grasp of Tunisia as a legal battle rages in Switzerland over its rightful owner. The lion’s share (CHF43 million) was deposited in Swiss banks by Belhassen Trabelsi, brother-in-law of deposed dictator Zine-el Abidine Ben Ali.

In 2014, the Federal Criminal Court overruled a decision by the Swiss attorney general to release the funds to Tunisia on the grounds that Trabelsi was not given a reasonable chance to contest the origins of the funds.

Chahed said he had faith in the Swiss authorities to keep the funds frozen while Tunisia continues to search for documentation to prove its case. The Swiss Attorney General’s Office confirmed that investigations into several people suspected of money laundering, bribery and fraud were ongoing. “Mutual legal assistance between Tunisia and Switzerland is working well,” it said in an emailed statement.

But so far, only CHF250,000 has been released from Swiss banks to Tunisia.

Of far more interest to Chahed during his Davos trip is drumming up political and economic support for the fledgling democracy that emerged from the 2011 Arab Spring uprising. He will use his visit to show off Tunisia’s “new image” and persuade Western countries to engage more with his country to “reinforce this young democracy” that “protects the borders of Europe”.

Chahed will meet Swiss delegates at Davos to develop bilateral ties. “We can learn more from Switzerland’s experience in renewables, pharma and vocational training,” he said.

Switzerland has been actively engaged in helping set up vocational training systems in Tunisia for several years.

“The main focus of my government is fighting unemployment,” said Chahed, who came into power last year. “We are trying to adapt our education system to make it match the requirements of the employment market. We need to learn from the Swiss system.”