The defense team of the Tunisia Development Association said today, Tuesday, that the association - which is being prosecuted on charges including money laundering - did not violate the law, and that the slander against it came for political goals by the authority, while the Tunisian General Labor Union said that the new draft constitution enshrines individual rule.
During a press conference in the Tunisian capital, a member of the defense committee of the Tunisian Development Association, Mokhtar Jamai, said that the association’s case coincided with the political situation in the country since July 25, 2021, to cover up what he described as the political, economic and social failure of the authority.
He added that the issue has political motives, as there is a political will to strike a particular political party.
In the context of this case, the association was accused of financing terrorism and money laundering, and among the defendants in the case are the head of the Ennahda movement Rached Ghannouchi, his son Moaz and his son-in-law, former Foreign Minister Rafik Abdel Salam, and former Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali, who was recently arrested for 4 days, before being released while keeping him. pending investigations.
The Ennahda movement denied the accusations leveled against its leaders, describing them as fabricated, and said they were intended to distort them.
A member of the defense committee of the Tunisian Development Association confirmed that the association works in the development field and not in the charitable field as it is promoted.
Al-Jamai said that the association operates in a framework of complete transparency, as it periodically submits financial reports on its activities.
He added that raising the case was supposed to be carried out by the government and not by unauthorized persons, accusing some judicial parties of violating the duty of reservation in this case.
A week ago, the anti-terrorism judge, according to what the official of the Financial Analysis Committee confirmed, ordered the freezing of bank accounts and financial assets of more than 30 people, including Ghannouchi, his son Moaz and his son-in-law, Rafik Abdel Salam.
Constitution Draft
Meanwhile, spokesman for the Tunisian Labor Confederation (Tunisia's largest trade union), Sami Tahiri, said today that the draft constitution does not guarantee a balance between powers and perpetuates individual rule.
Al-Tahri added that the amendments made by President Kais Saied to the draft constitution did not take into account the union's reservations.
The draft constitution was published at the end of last June, and Saeed later made some amendments to it and then republished it, and a referendum is scheduled to take place on July 25.
The opposition political forces criticized the draft constitution, and considered that it lays the foundations for an authoritarian individual rule, which was denied by President Kais Saied.
On Monday, the National Salvation Front called on Tunisians to boycott the referendum, and its leader, Ahmed Najib Chebbi, warned against the authorities' efforts to launch security and judicial prosecutions against opponents, calling on what he called the forces of freedom and democracy to act.
For his part, the head of the Ennahda Movement, Rached Ghannouchi, described the new constitution as jelly, and said that there are calls for a political dialogue without the Tunisian president.
On the other hand, Tunisian President Kais Saied said that there is no room for tolerance with those who said they wanted to thwart the referendum.
The European Union is following
For her part, Swedish Foreign Minister Anne Linde said today, Tuesday, that the European Union is closely following developments in Tunisia as a major partner to it.
In a tweet on Twitter, Linde confirmed the European Union's readiness to continue supporting the consolidation of democratic gains in Tunisia, and to emphasize democratic principles, human rights, the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary.