The accusation chamber specializing in financial corruption affairs to the Tunis Court of Appeal rejected, yesterday, the request for release presented by the defense of the former Minister of Agriculture, Samir Taieb, detained as part of the so -called Chaâl agricultural area (Henchir Chaâl).
The court judged the request admissible on the form, but refused it on the merits, believing that the elements of the file justified the continuation of the pre -trial detention. This decision confirms the warrant of deposit issued in November 2024 by the investigating judge of the economic and financial judicial center.
The case concerns suspicions of embezzlement in the allocation or management of the agricultural field Henchir Chaâl, located in a region with high agricultural potential. The investigations have highlighted possible administrative irregularities and alleged ties between certain public officials and private interests, in particular in the granting of industrial advantages or the illegal exploitation of state land.
Alongside Samir Taieb, several other people are the subject of criminal proceedings, including a senior administrative executive and the businessman Abdelaziz Makhloufi, all placed under a warrant. Other suspects, involved at various levels in this file, are also targeted by the judicial authorities.
This case is part of a broader campaign to combat corruption, launched by the Tunisian authorities, aimed at cleaning up the management of public goods and accounting for managers, regardless of their statutes passed or present.
No date has yet been set for a possible trial, but the judicial authorities are continuing the investigation of the file. Maintaining the ex-minister suggests that new developments may occur in this case to sensitive political and economic ramifications.
