Rached Ghannouchi, the Ennahda movement’s leader, who is expected to appear on July 19 before the judiciary for interrogation in the “Instalingo” case, has stated that, according to the initial information he received, he will be arrested, however, he will respond to the summons and will attend the investigation.
Instalingo is a content creation company located in the Tunisian coast. Later, it becomes clear that it is a front to hide its real activity that affects the national security of the Tunisian country.
In this context, a number of suspects were arrested and summonses were sent to interrogate some others related to this company.
The suspects are accused of committing crimes related to money laundering, exploitation of facilities in the characteristics of employment and professional and social activity, and assault intended to alter the state body. In addition to pushing the population to attack each other, provoking commotion, murder and looting of Tunisian soil, committing a despicable act against the head of state, and assaulting the state’s external security, in accordance with the provisions of articles 61, 67 and 72 of the Penal Code, and article 94 of Law No. 26 of 2015 related to combating terrorism and preventing money laundering.
Ghannouchi’s hearing comes less than a week before the referendum on the new constitution written by Said and granting him wide powers while limiting controls over his actions.
The new accusations against Ghannouchi are considered a new blow to the MB in Tunisia, with a penalty of up to five years in prison, in addition to the possibility of dissolving the movement.
Freezing of bank accounts and financial balances
In the same context, the first investigative judge at Office 23 of the Judicial Pole for Combating Terrorism sent, during the past week, a correspondence to the Tunisian Committee for Financial Analysis, regarding a judicial authorization issued by the aforementioned judge, related to the freezing of bank accounts and financial balances belonging to ten people.
These people are: Rached Al-Khuraiji Ghannouchi, the head of the Islamic Ennahda movement, his son Moaz Al-Khuraiji, and Rafiq Abdel Salam Bouchlaka, Ennahda member and former foreign minister, and he is Ghannouchi’s son-in-law,
Hamadi Jebali, the former prime minister who is also a leader in the Ennahda, and his two daughters, Safaa and Somaya Jebali, in addition to Abdel Karim Suleiman, Muhammad Al-Hashfi, Rafiq Amara and Alnajeh Latif.
According to the notification text issued by the Financial Analysis Committee headed by Marwan Al-Abbasi, the Central Bank’s Governor, these balances are placed in a waiting account pending the procedures of a case that is still open.
In its notification, the committee stated that all banks and the Post Office are concerned with the “immediate implementation of this judicial decision” issued by the investigative judge at the aforementioned pole within his open investigative case numbered 23/6240.
The committee demanded the banks and the post office to provide the investigating judge directly with data and information related to the permission implementation, such as providing him with all statements of balances belonging to the persons involved in the case procedures, informing the committee of that.
Ghannouchi is trapped
The accusation of suspicious foreign funds and corrupt money is only one of several other cases besieging Ghannouchi, including espionage, involvement in political assassinations, and the deportation of terrorists to Syria and others..
With regard to the charge of foreign financing of the electoral campaign, the referral of Ghannouchi to trial would reveal the extent to which he had used foreign funds to gain access to government, as well as to exploit public space and employ State organs for his party’s benefit.
This case is not new. Rather, it was reopened after the judiciary was cleansed of pervasive MB elements, and after the Supreme Judicial Council was dissolved and replaced with a temporary one.
The judiciary did not consider this case previously, because Ghannouchi and his party were in control of the political and judicial scenes.
Thus, the Ghannouchi case does not have a political dimension as much as it has a judicial and legal dimension. Especially after the Tunisian judiciary started in a new phase after the establishment of a higher council for the temporary judiciary. In addition to expelling the corrupt judges from the MB who were controlling the Tunisian judiciary, changing the rulings and hiding files and documents according to their interests.
Today, it can be said that after the dismantling of a large part of the MB system, and after the hand of the Ennahda movement has been lifted from him, Ghannouchi and his corrupt arms will be held accountable, according to the law.
Will the Ennahda party be dissolved?
A number of observers believe that Ennahda will be resolved sooner or later. Especially because Ennahda has faced, since the announcement of the exceptional measures in the country last July 25, a number of accusations related to corrupting the political sphere, receiving external funds and penetrating the judiciary. As well as accusations related to terrorism and the file of political assassinations and espionage.
Observers say that the investigations taking place at this level focus on financing networks that may have supported sites and activities affiliated with the Ennahda movement, whose activity increased, especially after last July 25.
The movement’s financial file has been the subject of widespread controversy over the past years, but it has not been dealt with for several reasons.
The huge spending of Ennahda – whether in electoral campaigns or during social events – to curry favor with the Tunisian street, has often raised the question of the source of the money that was spent. This is always justified by the movement by the donations of its members, amid accusations of receiving foreign funds, which is prohibited by Tunisian law.
The Ennahda issued a statement denying that Ghannouchi was connected to the “Namaa” association case. But it is noteworthy that the denial was limited to the movement’s leader, and the statement did not defend the rest of the leaders pursued in the movement, especially Ghannouchi’s son Moaz.
In a statement issued by the movement, it considered that putting Ghannouchi’s name in the file of the Namaa Association and other cases is in the context of distortion and fabrication of malicious charges. This is with the aim of creating a situation of polarization and intimidating people from the failure consequences of the referendum on the constitution and the illusion of the Ennahda movement’s return to power in this case.
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