Tunisian President Kais Saied has urged banks in the country to make an extra effort during this exceptional period that our nation is going through and to stand on the same front as the Tunisian people by reducing interest rates as much as possible so that part of it returns to the national collective. The President emphasized that there is no room for injustice, extortion, or the confiscation of funds in Tunisia today, stressing that rights are protected within the framework of the law.
These statements came during President Saied’s meeting with Mohamed Al-Aqrabi, President of the Tunisian Professional Association of Banks and Financial Institutions, on Saturday afternoon at the Carthage Palace, according to a statement published by the Tunisian presidency on its official Facebook page.
Tunisia is experiencing political turmoil following President Saied's dismissal of Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi, the suspension of parliamentary work, and a campaign against corruption. Last Wednesday, the Tunisian President affirmed the necessity of recovering the embezzled state funds, calling on businessmen involved in the plunder of public money to seek criminal reconciliation. The President also urged merchants to reduce prices to the lowest possible level.
He clarified that this issue does not concern all businessmen affiliated with the Federation of Industry and Commerce, which includes about 150,000 members, but rather 460 businessmen who embezzled the country's money, based on a report from the National Commission of Inquiry into Bribery and Corruption. Saied added in a video published on the presidency’s official page late Wednesday that the amount to be recovered from these individuals, according to the same report and a statement from one of the former heads of government, is 13.5 billion dinars.
