Tunis — President Kaïs Saïed said on Wednesday that individuals implicated in corruption cases, both in Tunisia and abroad, will be given a new opportunity to conclude criminal reconciliation agreements aimed at recovering misappropriated public funds. The announcement came during a meeting at Carthage Palace with Ali Abbess, head of the National Commission for Criminal Reconciliation.

The Head of State pointed out that the proposed agreements would be submitted to the National Security Council, adding that "the initiative is not intended as an act of revenge or score-settling." Instead, he said, "the goal is to recover every millime diverted from the Tunisian people and channel it back into the public interest."

The President clarified that individuals who agree to the reconciliation process could be released from prison or return from abroad. He emphasized that the agreements must be concluded quickly and without negotiations, pressure tactics, or attempts to delay the process.

Recalling that he first proposed the idea of criminal reconciliation in 2012, President Saïed noted that several initiatives had been launched to recover stolen funds. However, he said that the commissions established after July 25, 2021, failed to achieve meaningful results, with the latest body dissolved in September 2024.

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The Head of State also stated that those most heavily involved in corruption would be required to invest in Tunisia's poorest and most marginalized regions. He urged the National Commission for Criminal Reconciliation to accelerate the preparation of draft agreements, reiterating that the commission would be reconstituted as soon as possible under amended legislation intended to facilitate the process.