Yesterday, Friday, the Tunisian judiciary announced that the Ennahda movement, in the person of its (unnamed) legal representative, had been referred to an investigation into the case known in the media as “lobbying”, while the Tunisian Foreign Ministry said that the Council of Europe in the country trusted the authorities’ ability to overcome the current stage.
A statement issued by the liaison office of the Court of First Instance in the capital, Tunis, stated that the representative of the movement and one of its leaders proven to be involved in concluding the counseling contract were referred to its wing for investigation.
The statement added, "Research has been concluded in the investigative case published by the economic and financial judicial pole related to the financing of the 2019 legislative election campaign, known as the Lobbing case."
The statement did not mention more details about the investigation or the legal representative of the movement, which did not issue any immediate comment regarding it.
On July 14, the court's spokesman, Mohsen al-Dali, told Anadolu Agency that the investigative judge in its economic and financial judicial pole had opened an investigation on charges of receiving external funding.
Al-Dali added at the time that the investigation included the Ennahda party, Qalb Tounes, and the Living Tounes Association.
Last August, Ennahda denied media reports that it had signed a $30,000 contract with an American advertising company to improve its image abroad, which is prohibited by Tunisian law.
The movement’s media office said, in a statement at the time, that the movement is subject to the procedures of Tunisian law, and that its accounts and contracts are monitored by the (official) Court of Accounts.
Al-Jarandi: Tunisia is clinging to the democratic option and is on a reform path (Al-Jazeera)
political crisis
This comes in light of a political crisis in Tunisia since last July 25, when President Kais Saied imposed exceptional measures, most notably freezing the competencies of Parliament, issuing legislation by presidential decrees, dismissing the prime minister, appointing new ones, and dissolving the Supreme Judicial Council.
While most of the political forces in Tunisia reject the exceptional measures, and consider them a coup against the constitution, other forces support them and see them as a correction to the course of the 2011 revolution, in light of the political, economic and health crises.
In a related context, the Tunisian Foreign Ministry said - on Friday - that the Director of the Council of Europe office in the country, Pilar Morales Chau, expressed confidence in Tunisia's ability to succeed in the delicate stage it is going through and to strengthen the democratic path.
This came in a statement held by Foreign Minister Othman Al-Jarandi with the European official at the ministry's headquarters.
The statement stated that Shaw expressed confidence in Tunisia's ability to make this delicate stage a success, strengthen the democratic path, and achieve the desired transition in the best of circumstances.
The European official also reiterated, according to the statement, the readiness of the Council of Europe to put its expertise in a number of fields to accompany Tunisia on its political and development path.
For his part, El Grandi praised the strength of the partnership linking Tunisia with the Council of Europe, which was embodied in the implementation of many projects, expressing his aspiration to further advance cooperation in all fields.
He also stressed, according to the same statement, that Tunisia is clinging to the democratic option and that it is living a reform path that establishes a true and sound democracy that lives up to the aspirations of Tunisians and guarantees their dignity.