Freeze on Ben Ali Swiss funds expires, as Tunisia drags its feet
It is 10 years since protestors were burning images of Ben Ali in Tunisia's revolution. But the 10 years since his ouster have been chaotic.
Keystone / Christophe Ena
A ten-year freeze on former Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali’s assets in Switzerland has expired, but Bern says the funds will not be released immediately.
This content was published on
2 minutes
swissinfo.ch/jc
العربية
ar
انتهاء صلاحية قرار سويسري بتجميد أصول مالية لابن علي ومُقرّبين منه
The freeze by Switzerland’s federal government expired at midnight on Monday, because of a ten-year maximum legal limit. But, according to a foreign ministry press releaseExternal link, most of the CHF60 million ($67 million) assets of Ben Ali and his entourage are also covered by a second freeze ordered in the context of judicial cooperation.
Responding to the uprising of the “Arab Spring” which drove Ben Ali from power, Switzerland in early 2011 froze assets in Switzerland of the late president and eight members of his clan, including his wife Leila Trabelsi. Ben Ali died in exile in Saudi Arabia in 2019.
“The prospects for restitution now depend on the progress of Tunisian criminal proceedings and judicial cooperation,” says the foreign ministry. “The expiry of the freeze in no way alters Switzerland’s willingness to return assets whose illicit origin has been established. Switzerland will continue to support the asset recovery process.”
Bern had already warned Tunis in December that it must step up legal proceedings if it wants to prove the funds were ill-gotten and to get them back.
Tunisia’s 10-year transition has been dogged by economic and political instability, including many changes of government. “During these 10 long years, successive governments have shown only negligence, conflicts of interest and disdain for their own citizens in the handling of this issue which should have been considered essential and urgent,” a group of Tunisian NGOs including Lawyers without Borders said in a joint press release on Saturday.
Train vs plane: would you take a direct train between London and Geneva?
Eurostar is planning to run direct trains from Britain to Germany and Switzerland from the early 2030s. Would you favour the train over the plane? If not, why not?
Switzerland wants to examine cooperation with the EU in the defence sector
This content was published on
The Federal Council wants to examine a security and defence partnership with the EU. Exploratory talks are to begin as soon as possible. Among other things, the partnership would be used for defence procurement.
Swiss trial shows organic farming is 85% as productive as conventional agriculture
This content was published on
This is shown by the results of a globally unique open-air trial that has been running for 47 years in Therwil in the canton of Basel-Landschaft.
Nestlé fined by Swiss canton for illegally filtered water
This content was published on
Nestlé has been fined CHF 500,000 in the canton of Vaud for the unauthorised use of activated carbon filters in the production of mineral water. The filters were used to produce Henniez water from 2008 to 2022.
Swiss government proposes restrictions on Ukrainian refugees
This content was published on
Only those whose life and limb are at risk in Ukraine and who flee to Switzerland are to be granted S status in future. The remaining Ukrainian refugees should apply for asylum. This is what the Federal Council is proposing.
This content was published on
The Fribourg parliament approved a sum of CHF6.4 million to renovate the ramparts, the walkway and the towers, as well as to replace the exterior lighting.
Swiss rental housing listings increase for the first time in three years
This content was published on
For the first time in three years, the number of advertisements for rental accommodation is on the rise, but this does not dampen demand, quite the contrary. In Ticino, the average duration of an advertisement published on the main portals is 30 days.
Switzerland doing relatively well when it comes to child vaccination rates
This content was published on
Progress in child immunisation has stalled. For decades, the number of children vaccinated against measles, polio and other diseases has risen. But since 2010, vaccination rates have stagnated in many countries, according to a study.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Tunisia running out of time to secure Ben Ali’s Swiss funds
This content was published on
As the freeze on former Tunisian president Ben Ali’s assets in Switzerland nears expiration, Tunisia must speed up judicial procedures.
Is the Abacha accord a model for returning ‘dictator funds’?
This content was published on
Switzerland is cleaning up its image as a haven for “dirty money”, but NGOs have concerns about a recent agreement to return assets to Nigeria.
Tunisia continues along the rocky path of democratic progress
This content was published on
Switzerland's ambassador to Tunisia sees important progress on human rights, democracy and the security situation in the North African country.
Swiss court rejects Tunisia appeal against Ben Ali assets decision
This content was published on
The Federal Criminal Court has thrown out an appeal by Tunisian authorities to freeze the funds of three brothers linked to Ben Ali assets.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.