Tunisia organisation calls for holding president accountable after refusal to declare property

The Tunisian I Watch organisation, which specialises in monitoring the work of the executive and legislative authority, has called for holding President Kais Saied accountable after he refused to declare his gains, despite the passage of more than three years since he assumed authority.

The organisation shared a statement issued on Friday: “Chapter ten of the law relating to the declaration of gains and interests and combating illicit enrichment and conflicts of interest stipulates that every person shall be subject to the obligation of declaration, and to submit a new declaration every three years in case he continues his duties, within a deadline not exceeding 60 days from the end date of the three-year period. The deadlines for the declaration expired on 20 December, 2022, and it is clear that the president of the republic has not yet declared his gains, in clear violation of the law.”

The organisation called for: “Application of the law and deducting two-thirds of the grants delivered to the president of the republic for each month of delay, as per the provisions of Chapter No. 31 of the law relating to declaring gains and interests and combating illicit enrichment and conflicts of interests.”

It also called on Saied to respect, comply with and apply the law, in line with his statements regarding the application of the law to all.

The organisation considered that: “The new minister of trade’s commencement to her duties without declaring her gains is a clear violation of the law, as Chapter No. 31 of the law, relating to declaring gains and interests and combating illicit enrichment and conflict of interests, stipulates that declaring the gains for members of the government is a condition for starting their responsibilities.”

The Tunisian organisation renewed its call to open the headquarters of the Tunisian Anti-corruption Authority (INLUCC), as its continued closure encourages “corruption and illicit enrichment”. Moreover, it leads to: “Violating the rights of individuals, disrupting litigation paths and investigating financial and administrative corruption cases.”

I Watch called on Saied months ago to declare his property after three years of assuming authority, noting that he had dissolved INLUCC to avoid declaring his gains.

OPINION: What is the solution for Tunisia?