TUNISIA
The Tunisian Minister for Energy and four senior members of his Department have been sacked amid accusations of corruption.
Prime Minister, Youssef Chahed ordered the sacking of Khaled Kaddour and the officials along with an announcement that the Energy Ministry would be merged with the Ministry for Industry, an official source said.
Spokesperson for the Government, Iyad Dahmani said those dismissed were accused of allowing a Tunisian investor to explore the Halk Manzel oilfield — one of the country’s most important sites — without having to go through a licensing process.
The spokesperson said the deal over the oilfield, near the coastal city of Monastir, also came with unjustified tax privileges.
Mr Kaddour is the first Minister targeted in a crackdown on corruption that Mr Chahed launched last year.
So far only mid-level public sector officials have lost their jobs.
One of the dismissed officials, Secretary of State for Energy, Hachem Hmidi (pictured) denied the accusations.
“My exit from the Government helps me to devote myself to the case and prove that I am innocent of these malicious charges,” Mr Hmidi said.
The other officials named were the Director General of Fuel, the head of the national oil company, ETAP, and the Ministry’s Director General of Legal Affairs.
Corruption was one of main catalysts of the 2011 revolt against the autocratic regime of Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali and many Tunisians complain that graft remains widespread despite a democratic transition since 2011 with free elections.
In July, Parliament approved a law forcing senior officials to disclose assets — part of a fight against what it calls illicit enrichment.
Tunis, 7 September, 2018
