Tunisia: Official fired by PM for taking bribe

A minister allegedly caught taking a bribe was among three Tunisian officials who were fired on Monday by Prime Minister Youssef Chahed.

In 2016, Tunisia was ranked 75th out of more than 170 countries within the corruption perceptions index published by Transparency International. It ranked 59th a year before Ben Ali’s fall in 2010.

A statement from the government announced the sackings but did not state why the three were relieved of their duties. A spokesman for a provincial prosecutor confirmed that one of the officials had been arrested during a police operation where he allegedly pocketed money from a businessman who had complained to authorities that he had been asked to pay bribes.

The businessman told authorities the official had harassed him for money in order to renew the lease of his shop. The official then reportedly was paid around $200 by the shop owner, according to spokesman Mohamed Ali Barhoumi.

Read: Tunisia’s democratic transition has some achievements but still faces obstacles

Corruption has been one of the main issues in Tunisia with the Chahed’s government making it a top priority in lessening the “endemic” which was widespread under long-time President Zine Al-Abidine Ben Ali, who was ousted in a 2011 uprising.

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