Who finances Ghannouchi? The defense of Belaid and Brahmi reveals Qatar’s relationship with Ennahdha

The Brotherhood Ennahdha Movement, led by Rached Ghannouchi, is going through an intractable crisis, after what the Defense Committee for the martyrs, Chokri Belaid and Mohamed Brahmi, revealed, a crisis that threatens its existence, with evidence confirming the relationship of the Tunisian Ennahdha with the State of Qatar and the activities of the suspicious financial movement.

In a press conference held yesterday, the defense team revealed the existence of data “proving the involvement of Ghannouchi in cases related to money laundering”, in addition to the charge of “spying with foreign entities, including Qatar, and spying on politicians and state officials”, according to the Tunisian radio Nessma.

Ridha Radawi, a member of the defense committee in the martyr case, explained that the head of the movement, Ghannouchi, is being examined before the military court, along with judges, including former Vice President Bashir Al-Akrami and a number of officials in the Ministry of Interior, for crimes committed “related to treason, espionage, placing oneself on the shoulders of foreign countries, in an implicit reference to the State of Qatar, and extracting financial amounts in return”.

Radawi spoke about the network of associations funded by Qatar, including Namaa Tounes, which he said is ostensibly seeking to attract investments to Tunisia and help foreign businessmen, especially Turks, to establish themselves in Tunisia. Their main role is to launder money and oversee travel to Libya and Syria.

Radawi added that this organization, which included a number of businessmen, was involved in the crimes of traveling to Libya in 2013 and 2014 by receiving money pumped directly from Qatari accounts, was banned from activity, and a criminal investigation was opened into its crimes. “The Qatari Amiri Diwan has been providing hundreds of billions to Ennahdha through this and other organizations since 2013 to date to complete its spying tasks”, he said.

He said that the Authority filed two complaints against Ghannouchi and his son Mouad, as well as against Bashir Al-Akrami and security leaders who were involved in covering up these suspicious financial flows, and that a complaint will be added against the Association of Tunisian Development.