Former Ennahdha leader calls for Ghannouchi’s resignation

In the latest act of public anger at Ennahdha’s policies, former Ennahdha leader Imed El Hammami, who has held three ministerial portfolios in recent years, lashed out at the movement’s leader Rached Ghannouchi, calling for his removal.

In an interview with Tunisian radio station Mosaique, Hammami said: Ghannouchi, Ennahdha’s leader “surrounded himself with incompetent people and removed many leaders, such as Samir Dilou, Lotfi Zitoun and Zied Ladhari”.

Iron curtain on the movement’s funds

Speaking about the corruption of Ennahdha and its leader, Hammami said: Ghannouchi erected an iron curtain on the financial issue of the movement.

The discussion about Ennahdha’s finances comes about a month after the defense team of the two martyrs, Chokri Belaid and Mohamed Brahmi, revealed that Ennahdha’s leader and son were involved in financial crimes, including money laundering.

On February 9, the Commission held a press conference during which it revealed, through documents, the involvement of Ennahdha movement, its leader Rached Ghannouchi, his son, and others in money laundering crimes, suspicious financial movements with parties linked to the State of Qatar, to finance the travel of young Tunisians to Syria to join ISIS camps, as well as attacks on the internal security of the state, and spying on Tunisians.

During the symposium, the Authority confirmed that it filed a criminal complaint more than a month ago before the Permanent Military Court in Tunis concerning the crimes of self-imposition by a foreign State, espionage against Tunisia and attacks on its internal security. In the same complaint, the Authority explained that it had evidence about the money-laundering wing, and the part related to money-laundering was referred to the Permanent Court of First Instance in Tunisia, and was committed by the public prosecution.

The Public Prosecution in the Court of First Instance in Tunis had authorized the opening of an investigation commissioned by the Sub-Directorate for Economic and Financial Issues, regarding a complaint filed by the Defense Authority for the Martyrs Belaid and Al-Brahmi against leaders of the Ennahdha Movement, including the President of the Movement, Rached Ghannouchi, one of his sons and other leaders, in addition to two foreigners and a group of companies, some of them foreign, for the crimes of money laundering and money laundering, and other crimes of a financial nature.

Hammami believes that Rached Ghannouchi seized control of Ennahdha and is in charge of its status today, adding that “Ennahdha was heading towards a bloody collapse in the first elections that will take place before July 25”, adding that “since January 10, 2020, the day when Ghannouchi decided to topple the government of Gamali, I estimated that Ghannouchi had dropped the ceiling on everyone, and that it was over, and that if Ennahdha did not abandon Ghannouchi, it was over”.

As for the criticism leveled against him regarding the coup against Ennahdha and his support for Kais Saied, Hammami said that he has been supportive of Saied since he announced his candidacy in the 2019 presidential elections, indicating that he called for voting for him; because he is a clean and honest person and used to present ideas outside the traditional framework, he said.