Gordon Gray, the American ambassador to Tunisia, held a meeting with Tunisian Minister of Justice Noureddine Bhiri on Friday January 27^th, 2012.

The the two representatives discussed areas of cooperation between the governments of the United States and Tunisia. One important area of cooperation between the two governments has been the recovery of assets siphoned from Tunisia by the Ben Ali family.

According to Jason Khile, the press attaché of the American Embassy in Tunis, the United States is committed to helping Tunisia in its transitional process after the revolution. Khile holds that, “Recovery of ousted president Ben Ali’s family assets is a central issue in this transitional phase.”

Khile explained that the US proved its commitment last March by sending a financial crimes expert to work closely with the Tunisian Ministry of Justice regarding the issue of asset recovery. Subsequently the financial crimes expert participated in a Lyon conference on the subject.

Khile asserts that on January 27^th, 2011, the US government issued a declaration instructing banks to closely examine Tunisian-held bank accounts and to promptly inform the Treasury Department of any suspicious transactions that may take place.

The Tunisian Central Bank explained that they have formed a commission in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice to handle the issue of frozen assets abroad.

Bhiri and Gray also discussed other ways the U.S. Government could assist with Tunisia’s asset recovery and criminal sector reform.