Tunisian President, Kais Saied, revealed on Thursday that the Banque Nationale Agricole has issued billions in loans without substantial collateral.
The statement was broadcast on “Nesma” Radio on Friday, highlighting the president’s discovery of numerous financial irregularities during his visit to the bank the previous day.
Saied elaborated that he has prepared a dossier highlighting several transgressions within the bank. He cited examples to demonstrate how these actions violate the law and squander Tunisia‘s public funds.
As an instance, he noted an individual who obtained a loan of about 24 million dinars from the Banque Nationale Agricole without any guarantees. Subsequently, this same individual secured another loan this year to settle the interest on the initial debt.
President Saied pointed out, “The bank grants new loans to the same individuals to cover the interest on their debt, rather than settling the principal amount. Meanwhile, small-scale farmers obtain loans under stringent conditions.”
He emphasized that the Banque Nationale Agricole should primarily serve the small farmers and not cater to the big “whales,” as he described them.
The president assured that those responsible for these discrepancies will face legal repercussions.
The Tunisian authorities banned entry to five members of the European Parliament’s foreign affairs (AFET) committee.
In a letter addressed to the European Union’s delegation in Tunis, Tunisia’s foreign affairs ministry said that the parliament’s delegation would “not be authorized to enter national territory.”
This move comes amidst ongoing debates surrounding a migration-related aid agreement inked earlier this summer.
A spokesperson on behalf of the European Commission underlined that the Tunisian government’s decision “came as a surprise to us.”
German politician Detmar Köster said the MPs planned to meet representatives of the Tunisian civil society from Thursday to Saturday. Köster commented, “This is an unprecedented scandal.”
The five MPs collectively condemned the decision in a joint statement. They expressed their “readiness and insistence on dialogue” with Tunisia.
