Le Monde published an exceptionally translation into French of a U.S. diplomatic telegram released by Wikileaks describing and corruption at the highest level of the regime of President Ben Ali. ************************************************** ************************************** Tunis Memo No. 08 679 DATE: June 23 2008ORIGINE: EMBASSY UNITED STATES TO TUNISCLASSIFICATION: SECRET SUBJECT: CORRUPTION IN TUNISIA: WHAT IS YOU IS ME [...] This is especially the wife of Ben Ali, Leila Ben Ali, and his extended family - the Trabelsi - which cause angry Tunisians.In addition to numerous allegations of corruption, Trabelsi are the frequent target of spears about their lack of education, low social status and their frenzy of consumption. If some critical Trabelsi clan seem to emanate a contempt for their nouveau riche behavior, Tunisians also note that their strong-arm methods and flagrant abuse of the system are easy objects of detestation.
Leila's brother, Belhassen Trabelsi, is the best known member of the family and is said to have been involved in many corruption cases, since the recent reorganization of the Board of Directors of the Bank of Tunisia [in which Trabelsi has been co-opted before you acquire a controlling weight in the months ahead] to the operations of expropriation and extortion of bribes, kickbacks.
Trabelsi also owns many companies, including an airline, several hotels, one of two private radio stations Tunisian assembly plants of cars, the Ford distribution network, a real estate development company, and the list does is not over. [...] Yet, Belhassen is one of the ten known members of the family of Leila, and everyone had to turn children.
Among this large extended family, the brother of Leila, Moncef and his nephew Imed are also economic actors in the foreground. 4 - The president himself is often discharged, many Tunisians arguing that it is used by the clan Trabelsi and ignore their dubious actions. XXXX, a staunch government supporter and member of XXXX, told the ambassador that the problem was not Ben, but it was "the Family" that went too far and violated the rules.
It is difficult to believe that Ben Ali is not aware, if only vaguely, the growing problem of corruption. However, this may reflect the geographical distribution that seems to exist between the stronghold of one of Ben Ali and Trabelsi, Ben Ali clan operating mainly in the central coastal region while the Trabelsi clan, especially active in the area around Tunis therefore lend over the side to rumors.
Ben Ali the side of the family, with children and parents-from the first marriage of the president, is also involved in numerous cases. Ben Ali has seven brothers and sisters, including his late elder brother was a Moncef notorious drug trafficker sentenced in absentia [before his death in 1996] to ten years imprisonment by a French court.
Ben Ali had three children by his first wife Naima Kefi: Ghaouna, and Dorsaf Cyrine. They were married respectively Zarrouk Slim, Slim Chiboub and Marwan Mabrouk - three men with a significant weight. 5 - With the boom in real estate development and rising land prices, owning a property or land in the right place can be either a boon or the shortest route to the expropriation.
In the summer of 2007, Leila Ben Ali received free Tunisian government land located where an institution was built for profit, the Carthage International School [...]. In addition to the field, the Tunisian government donated to the school of 1.8 million dinars (1.5 million) [1.1 million], and in a few weeks, he built roads and install traffic lights to facilitate access to school.
It is said that Mrs. Ben Ali would have sold the Carthage International School in Belgian investors, but the Belgian Embassy has so far been unable to confirm or deny the rumor. XXXX stated that the school had actually been sold for a huge sum but not disclosed. He stressed that the operation had been any benefit for Mrs.
Ben Ali as having received free land and infrastructure, she cashed the juicy amount of the sale. 6 - For a year, a vast, luxurious residence is being built near the residence of the ambassador. Multiple sources have told us that this building belongs to Sakhr Materi, son of President Ben Ali and owner of Radio Zaytuna.
The owner of the land value would have been expropriated by the Tunisian government, which claimed to want to use the premises to install the water agency, before they are assigned to Materi for private use. A cafe owner told a similar story to an employee of the embassy, explaining that Belhassen Trabelsi had forced him to give up the coffee he had previously located in a well against the establishment he heads to present.
The barman says that Trabelsi had told him he could do what he wanted in his new premises, and if the bribes, kickbacks paid 50 dinars to the district police were not enough, the cafe had only Trabelsi call that "it would solve." 6 - In 2006, it was reported that Moaz and Imed Trabelsi, two nephews, Ben Ali, have stolen the yacht of a French businessman, well connected, Bruno Roger, chairman of Lazard Paris.
The flight, which the French press gave wide coverage was evidenced when the yacht, completely repainted to hide the details features that could identify the make, sailed into the port of Sidi Bou Said. The outstanding position of Roger in the French establishment might cause friction in bilateral relations and, according to several reports, the yacht he was quickly restored.
The case of stolen yacht resurfaced in early 2008 because of the arrest warrant issued by Interpol against the two Trabelsi. In May, the two brothers were brought before the Tunisian courts, probably for the sake of international justice. It is unclear how the case ended. 7 - The Tunisian financial sector is crippled by serious allegations of corruption and financial mismanagement.
The Tunisian businessmen say jokingly that the best relationship a man can have is with his banker, thereby reflecting a balance of personal connections on the validity of your business plan to obtain funding . The consequence of this banking activity based on personal relationships is, in the whole sector, a rate of non-performing loans at 19%, which remains high, although lower than the 25% that prevailed in 2001 [...].
The contacts we are quick to point out that many of these loans are underwritten by wealthy Tunisian businessmen who use their relationship with the government not to reimburse them [...]. The lack of control of the banking sector is an inexhaustible reservoir of good business, and the stories of suspicious transactions made by the "First Family" are numerous.
The recent reorganization of the Board of Directors of the Bank of Tunisia [...], whose wife of Foreign Minister took the chair while Belhassen Trabelsi was doing his entrance, is the latest example. According to a representative of Crédit Agricole, Marwan Mabrouk, another son of Ben Ali, has bought 17% stake in the former South Bank (now Bank Attijari) just before its privatization.
The 17% share enabled it to acquire a controlling position, since the privatization concerned that 35% of the total shares of the bank. The representative of the Credit Agricole said Mabrouk had sold its shares to foreign banks with a comfortable income, while the group that won the bid for the shares of the Tunisian state in the South Bank, the consortium Hispano Moroccan-Santander-Attijariwafa poured from hand to hand a premium Mabrouk.
XXXX, former president of the Arab Banking Corporation, told us that when he was still working in that bank, he received phone calls from panicky customers saying that Belhassen Trabelsi asked for money. He did not specify whether or not advised them to pay. [...] 13 - If the evil has already digested Tunisians current corruption, abuse of the family of President Ben Ali arouse their fury.
While the population is facing a rising inflation and high unemployment rate, display of wealth and persistent rumors of corruption only fuel resentment. The recent protests that have shaken the mining province of Gafsa are a powerful reminder of the underlying discontent. The government based its legitimacy on its ability to ensure economic growth, but a growing number of Tunisians are those who occupy the top of the ladder keep the profits for themselves.
14 - Corruption is a problem both politically and economically. The lack of transparency and accountability that characterizes the Tunisian political system is also causing economic damage in degrading conditions for investment and nurturing a culture of corruption. Despite what you hear on the Tunisian economic miracle and the positive statistics, the fact that the Tunisian investors themselves stand behind speaks volumes.
Corruption is a huge problem and blatant, but no one is willing to publicly acknowledge. Translated by Le Monde
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