OWER CORRUPTS
Ben Ali clan flee Tunisia with tonnes of gold
Paris: Relatives of the ousted Tunisian leader Zine El Abidine Ben Ali are thought to have fled the country with 1.5 tonne in gold, Le Monde reported citing French intelligence sources. At latest prices 1.5 tonnes in gold would fetch USD 65 million on the open market. According to Le Monde, President Nicolas Sarkozy’s office has been briefed by French intelligence that Leila Trabelsi, Ben Ali’s second wife, withdrew gold ingots from the Tunisian central bank. The governor initially resisted her request, but backed down under pressure from Ben Ali himself, the report said. Ben Ali and Leila have now fled Tunisia, under pressure from an unprecedented wave of street protests and amid anger that their family is accused of looting the country’s resources.
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