Ben Ali’s nephew apologises for corruption

Imed Trabelsi, a nephew of toppled Tunisian dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, apologised to the Tunisian people on national television for the endemic corruption during the regime. In his testimony to the Truth and Dignity Commission (IVD), a tribunal established after the 2011 revolution, Trabelsi recounted how he got rich thanks to a well-oiled system involving the complicity of customs officers, high officials and Ministers. ‘We practically had a monopoly on the banana trade,’ Trabelsi said, adding that there were also monopolies on real estate and alcohol sales. Trabelsi, who has been in prison since the revolution, apologised profusely and said he wanted his freedom, notes a report on the News24 site.