Tunisia - Ben Ali tear gas blocked by French Customs

Who made the decision Friday, January 14, hours before the fall of Tunisian President Ben Ali, to block a plane to Tunisia carrying material of policing, including tear gas? Tuesday Marianne2. en, who had revealed the information, said a "high authority of the Elysee" had formally objected to this material, commissioned by the government of Ben Ali, to be delivered.

A version implicitly confirmed the spokesperson of the French government, Baroin: "Ben Ali called for reinforcements and equipment is not gone," he had said without elaborating. But on Wednesday, the Directorate General of Customs has provided the site Rue89 that blocking the cargo resulted from a classical control customs Roissy.

Contrary to what was suggested Baroin, "lesinstructions to block the goods have been donated by the government that 'Monday or Tuesday', three days or four days after the fall of Ben Ali," it added. The material intercepted at Roissy was ordered from a French company specialized in the export of uniforms and police equipment.

According Marianne2. en, the shipment consisted of uniforms, protective and tear gas, blowers or enlightening, but not military hardware. "At 19 h 30, customs officials decided, after using a 'technique of targeting and risk analysis', to make a physical inspection of goods. It's normal, it was equipment maintenance order sensitive to a destination, Tunisia ", said the Directorate General of Customs, Rue89.

As part of this "classic control", Customs has decided to "postpone the visit to the physical Monday, January 17" after "found irregularities related to a non-compliance clearance. "At this point, we had no contact with political authorities", said the Directorate General of Customs has, on the basis of this inspection, carried a report which is then hauled to the government.

"Monday or Tuesday, a statement from the Quai d'Orsay was given to block the material," state customs authorities.

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