EU Freezes Ousted Tunisian President's Assets

The former Tunisian President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali fled the country on January 14 2011. Photo by EPA/BGNES

The foreign Ministers of the EU member states have decided to freeze the assets of the former Tunisian President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali and his wife Leila Trabelsi.

The measure has been demanded by the Tunisian interim government, formed by PM Mohamed Ghannouchi last Thursday. It is possible that dozens of other members of the Ben Ali dynasty may have their assets frozen.

The EU has already sent a diplomatic mission to Tunisia to help with the transition to democracy, and is expected to offer more aid in the coming days.

Ben Ali fled Tunisia for Saudi Arabia on January 14, following a month of popular protests fed by allegations of corruption.

The wave of rallies in Tunisia was sparked by the suicide of fruit and vegetable seller Mohammed Bouazizi, who torched himself last month after police confiscated his fruit cart, cutting off his source of income. Subsequently, dozens of people died in more than a month of clashes

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