President Moncef Marzouki called Switzerland “to support Tunisia in this transition period and help Tunisian people recover their embezzled assets as quickly as possible.”
At the invitation on Sunday of the Swiss Radio and Television Channel (RTS) news broadcast, Mr. Marzouki regretted that some funds belonging to the “criminals” of Ben Ali’s regime had been unfrozen.
“At least four bank accounts of big criminals in Ben Ali’s system were recently unfrozen in Switzerland, which is very distressing for the Tunisian people,” he explained.
“A large amount of corrupt money exceeding 60 million Euros was embezzled and deposited in Switzerland immediately after the Revolution,” the President of the Republic said, adding that “such sums could help Tunisian people take up economic challenges.”
“If today there are still Tunisian asylum-seekers in Switzerland, it is for economic and non-political reasons,” he indicated in response to a question on the ongoing asylum petitions on the part of Tunisians even after the Revolution.
He incited Swiss tourists and investors to visit Tunisia and “prospect the new opportunities offered by the country after the Revolution, which has provided the Tunisian people with democracy, human rights and liberties.”
President Marzouki headed to Geneva on Sunday to take part in the 25th session of the UN Council of Human Rights whose works start on Monday.
