Money Smuggling Accusations Against Ennahdha Advisor Fail To Stand Up to Scrutiny

A French Customs official has denied that Belgacem Ferchichi was taken into custody at Paris-Orly airport on suspicion of money smuggling, bringing into question the credibility of accusations against the Ennahdha adviser made online and in the Tunisian media.

Belgacem Ferchichi, an Ennahdha member and adviser to Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali was accused of illegally smuggling money into France in his luggage by French journalist Allain Jules.

In a report published on his website, Jules, who describes himself as an “uninhibited polemicist,” alleged that Ferchichi was returning from a trip to the Arabian Peninsula when he was stopped by French border police at Orly airport. According to the same article, a search of Ferchichi’s belongings revealed a large amount of money.

Although Jules based his report on an unnamed source “close to the case” at Paris-Orly airport, the story was quickly picked up by various news outlets in Tunisia, including Express FM, which featured an interview with the journalist. It was also spread across social media sites like Facebook.

However, when contacted by Tunisia Live, a press representative from the French customs office, Mongi Harbaoui, confirmed that “no infraction corresponding to your inquiry has been recorded by the customs service at Orly or Roissy [airports].”

Ferchichi’s passport, showing a stamp indicating his arrival in Orly Airport on August 17. No stamps from the Gulf are present.
In an interview with Tunisia Live, Ferchichi strenuously denied the accusations made against him.

“In Orly airport, I wasn’t arrested. There is no way I was arrested. It was only a passport check. They wanted to see my identity. After a short while, I left, just like any other passenger.”

The Ennahdha adviser later added that he himself was very confused about the controversy. “I have a lot of questions about this event myself.”

In the interview, Ferchichi displayed his passport, complete with stamps confirming his departure for France on August 17 and his return yesterday, August 27.

Since Jules posted the story on his blog on August 20, Ferchichi has been forced to defend himself against a series of online rumours, including stories that he was arrested with money in his socks, was traveling on a diplomatic passport, or was the subject of an Interpol arrest warrant dating from the Ben Ali era.

While no evidence to substantiate these rumours has come to light, Ferchichi’s situation has not been helped by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs which released a statement on August 23 claiming that for months they had been calling for international governments to “cancel the list of Tunisians wanted under the former regime.” Ferchichi denies that his name has figured on any Interpol list.

Myriam Ben Ghazi, Adam Le Nevez, and Rabii Kalboussi contributed reporting