An investigation was opened following the incident of the national flag covered with a fabric during the seventh edition of the Tunisian Open Masters, organized by the Tunisian Swimming Federation, at the Olympic Radès swimming pool. Nine people are accused of conspiracy against state security, two of which are currently in detention.
The prosecution near the Ben Arous court of first instance decided to open a judicial information against nine people, two of whom are in a state of arrest and seven in freedom, for accusations linked to the formation of an alliance in order to conspire against the internal security of the State, reports Mosaique FM according to Sadok Jouini, spokesperson for the first instance court of Ben Arous.
In a declaration on the radio, he indicated that the public prosecutor’s office in the first instance court of Ben Arous instructed the central anti -crime brigade of the National Guard of Ben Arous to open investigations on the incident of the covered flag and the raising of the national flag during the seventh edition of the Tunisian Open Masters, organized by the Tunisian swimming federation, at the Olympic Radès swimming pool.
At the end of research, it was decided to keep two of the people involved in the survey in detention, namely the former president of the Tunisian Swimming Federation and an official of the National Anti -Doping Agency, while returning seven other people in a state of freedom.
The official spokesperson for the Ben Arous Court of First Instance confirmed that after examining the results of the investigation, this Monday, May 13, 2024, the public prosecutor decided to open a judicial investigation against the nine suspects and to refer them to the investigating judge for their interrogation.
On the sidelines of the flag incident, the Ministry of Youth and Sport had announced, the dismissal of the director general of the National Anti -Doping Agency, Mourad Hambli and that of the Regional Youth and Sport delegate of Ben Arous.
The President of the Kais Republic Saied went on Friday May 10, to the Olympic Radès swimming pool where he found that the national flag had been covered with a fabric.
He then expressed his anger, considering that this incident acts as a crime and demanded that the officials of this act be judged. He also ordered the opening of an investigation and legal proceedings against those who covered the national flag.
In the process, the Ministry of Youth and Sport announced the dissolution of the Federal Office of the Tunisian Swimming Federation while Tunisia is under the influence of sanctions decreed by the World Anti-Doping Agency (AMA), these having been imposed due to the non-compliance by the Tunisian sports authorities of the World Anti-Doping Code.
Under the AMA decision, Tunisia is therefore not allowed to organize regional, continental or global competitions in any sports discipline.
Likewise, the Tunisian flag will not be hoisted during the next Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris during the summer of 2024, as long as Tunisia does not comply with AMA standards.
The AMA criticizes Tunisia “its inability to fully implement the 2021 version of the World Anti -Doping Code within its legal system”.
Indeed, Tunisia had four months, from last November, to adopt a certain number of modifications to the legislative and regulatory texts to comply with the code of the Tunisian legal framework. Something that was obviously not done.
In November 2023, when the AMA had sent a correspondence to Tunisia warning him of any sanctions, the spokesman for the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Chokri Hamda, said that it was only advice so that Tunisia complies with the new amendments of the agency.
The manager had insisted that the AMA correspondence is a routine act and all that the press has peddled as sanctions are ultimately only advice addressed to the Tunisian part to comply with the World Anti -Doping Code.
In addition to the sanctions mentioned above and of which Chokri Hamda had refuted the enforceable character, the Tunisian National Anti-Doping Agency (Anad) loses its AMA privileges, until the statement conditions set out.
