Mohamed Bouhlel, the Inspector General of the State Property and Land Affairs, has pointed out that the needs of the Tunisian administration determine the number of vehicle fleets under the control of his department, asserting that public expenditure therefore requires an appropriate use of the fleet operated by public servants.
In an interview given Wednesday to Africanmanager.ar, he indicated that the fleet of administrative cars comprises 96,747 units, specifying that this number is divided between company cars assigned to certain grades of the Tunisian administration.
“Their number is estimated at around 3,150 cars, which represents 3.25% of the total fleet,” he said.
As for the dual-use cars, the official explained that “they are essentially utility cars, but the nature of the tasks sometimes requires that the car be left at the personal disposal of the public servant, so that he or she can use it for some of his or her private affairs if the need arises”.
He added: “The number of cars in this category is 5,565, which represents about 5.75% of the total number of cars… As for the rest of the fleet, it is estimated at 88,000 cars, which represents 81% of the total number of administrative vehicles”.
The official at the Ministry of State Property also assured us that only 9% of the fleet is used for personal purposes.
He also pointed out that the total fleet is divided between the State with 45,380 cars, which represents 46.9%.
The remaining 14,000 cars are used by municipalities and regional councils.
Regarding the fuel quotas allocated to each category of vehicle, he revealed that the share of fuel for company cars is estimated at 360 liters per month, with fuel distributed according to need.
He added that the quota for dual-use vehicles does not exceed 180 liters per month, which is determined by a supervisor.
358 infringements recorded in 6 months
Regarding violations related to administrative vehicles, Mohamed Bouhlel said the joint monitoring teams of the Ministries of Interior and State Property checked 11,500 vehicles in the first 6 months of this year, resulting in the recording of 358 violations related to administrative vehicles.
He added that since 2020, the Ministry of State Property has begun to impose fines of 60 dinars on violators, which has reduced the number of violations.
On another front, he pointed out that the administrative control of vehicles is carried out by 13 teams (each team consists of four agents, two from the Ministry of State Property and two from the Ministry of the Interior, either from the traffic police or the National Guard) spread throughout the territory of the Republic.
“The Ministry is currently considering a proposal to increase the number of joint administrative vehicle control teams,” he added.
Indeed, it’s important to redouble our efforts in terms of vigilance and administrative control to ensure that the car is actually being used for its intended purpose.
If this is not the case, the manager may be called to account, as misuse of the car can be considered a criminal offence.
There was a time when laxity in the administration was widespread and no one called to account officials who committed abuses with impunity (…).
