Tunisia: currency smuggling sparks corruption debate

Reports about a judge in Tunisia being implicated in smuggling €1.5 million has sparked controversy and a debate about corruption in the country, says Al-Quds Al-Arabi. Calls have been made for comprehensive reform of the judicial system to rid it of “political pollution”.

The Tunisian authorities arrested the judge, whose identity has not been revealed, while she was on her way to the city of Sfax. The Euros found in the car being driven by the suspect were seized. It was then discovered that the judge had been involved in a network smuggling foreign currency into Libya.

The Supreme Council of Justice has lifted the judge’s immunity. She has also been suspended from work. The Public Prosecutor has imposed a travel ban on the suspect, although she has been released on bail pending the completion of investigations into the source of the money seized.

“A judge heads towards the Libyan border while carrying approximately 1.5 million in foreign currency,” commented political analyst Tarek Kahlaoui. “The customs guards arrest her and hand her over to the Public Prosecution Office in Monastir. The prosecutor interrogates her and she states that she carried the money ‘as a favour’ [for someone], prompting the prosecutor to release her pending the completion of investigations. The summary is that the judge enjoys a prerogative that entitles her to smuggle money as a favour to someone, and the judiciary grants her provisional release.”

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Kahlaoui pointed out that the customs guards performed their duties, but the judiciary decided to handle the situation according to double standards. “The most important reason that prompted people to take the streets on 25 July is exactly this type of situation where first-class citizens enjoy immunity. How many wake up calls does the judicial authority want? What kind of alert do they need more than this?”

Lawyer Lobna Mechichi issued an appeal to “honest” judges. “Do not stand in solidarity with corruption, for you are the mainstay of the country. You are the majority, and the corrupt are a minority. But the corrupt make a disgusting noise, so do not be deceived by the loudness of corruption, for the voice of truth is louder.”

She explained that the country will not be reformed without honest judges, so they should not be complacent and not despair, and should not show mercy to the corrupt. “You are their first enemy, contrary to what you think. You are the main victims of what they are doing. Do not feel embarrassed, as you have nothing to do with their corruption, the same way I am not embarrassed by the corruption of some lawyers. The country will not see a better day, even if fifty other Kais Saieds come and introduce a thousand exceptional measures, without you focusing on the truth and justice. There is no reform without you, so do not let them drag you into the mud.”