Tunisia's Judiciary Launches Funding Probe into Parties

Tunisia's judiciary has opened an investigation into allegations political parties received foreign funding ahead of national elections held in 2019, the prosecutor's office told AFP on Wednesday.

Three parties are under investigation, the Islamist-inspired Ennahdha -- the biggest party in parliament -- as well as the liberal Qalb Tounes and the Aich Tounsi movement.

The announcement comes days after President Kais Saied suspended parliament and fired the prime minister on Sunday, in a power grab Ennahdha has decried as a "coup d'état".

The financial arm of the judiciary opened the probe on July 14, focusing on "the foreign financing and acceptance of funds of unknown origin during the electoral campaign of 2019," prosecution spokesman Mohsen Dali said.

Legislative elections took place in October that year, followed by a presidential poll -- won by Saied, an austere law academic -- in December 2019. 

In early October 2019, the financial unit of the judiciary received complaints against the leader of Qalb Tounes and the Ennahdha party.

The complaints were lodged by the Court of Auditors and by an opposition party relating to funding for the legislative campaign.

Financing from abroad and failing to declare the origin of campaign funds is illegal under Tunisian law. 

Saied on Sunday assumed judicial powers, in order to ensure accumulated evidence of what he described as "crimes against Tunisia" does not "disappear."