Tunisia's former prime minister and Ennahdha party leader Ali Laarayedh has been arrested under suspicion of orchestrating the smuggling of citizens to Syria to fight alongside terrorists, lawyers said on Monday.
Mr Laarayedh, who was also interior minister, was questioned for eight hours by an investigative judge on behalf of the Counter-Terrorism Judicial Pole — an organisation that brings together different branches of the justice system to combat terrorism.
It was the second time Mr Laarayedh had been detained in the same case, the previous occasion being September 19.
"The investigative judge issued a prison decision against former prime minister Ali Laarayedh in what is known as the deportation jihadists file,” lawyer Ines Harrath said.
Political party Ennahda denied accusations of terrorism, calling the judge's decision a political attack on an enemy of President Kais Saied to hide "the catastrophic failure of the elections".
The Ennahdha party called Mr Laarayedh’s arrest a “systematic targeting and a desperate and blatant attempt from the coup authority and its President, Kais Saied, to cover up the abject failure of legislative elections that were boycotted by more than 90 per cent of the voters,” a statement released on Monday night said.
In 2017, a parliamentary commission was formed to investigate terrorist networks that were involved in recruiting and sending thousands of young Tunisians to fight in Syria, joining terrorist groups such as ISIS, after the uprising in 2011 descended into a decade-long civil war.
At the time, the commission said it had evidence incriminating Ennahdha's leadership, including Mr Laarayedh, who was accused by some of adopting a relaxed view of the risk Tunisians travelling to Turkey could pose, during his time as minister of interior.
Turkey was then the main access point for foreign fighters going to Syria.
The case took centre stage once again when Fatma Mseddi, the former Nidaa Tounes MP, filed an official complaint to the military judiciary.
Only 11.2 per cent of Tunisian voters cast ballots in Saturday's parliamentary elections, Farouk Bouasker, the head of the electoral commission said, after most political parties boycotted the poll, amid claims it was a mere charade to shore up Mr Saied's power.
After the turnout was announced, major parties, among them the Salvation Front, which includes Ennahda and its allies, said Mr Saied had no legitimacy and should step down. They also called for mass public protests.
Ennahda, the main opposition party, has accused Mr Saied of an anti-democratic coup when he seized most powers last year, shutting down the parliament and moving to rule by decree, powers he has formalised largely with a new constitution ratified in a referendum in July.
Security sources estimated that about 6,000 Tunisians travelled to Syria and Iraq during the past decade, to join extremist groups including ISIS.
MATCH INFO
Barcelona 4 (Messi 23' pen, 45 1', 48', Busquets 85')
Celta Vigo 1 (Olaza 42')
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
End of free parking
- paid-for parking will be rolled across Abu Dhabi island on August 18
- drivers will have three working weeks leeway before fines are issued
- areas that are currently free to park - around Sheikh Zayed Bridge, Maqta Bridge, Mussaffah Bridge and the Corniche - will now require a ticket
- villa residents will need a permit to park outside their home. One vehicle is Dh800 and a second is Dh1,200.
- The penalty for failing to pay for a ticket after 10 minutes will be Dh200
- Parking on a patch of sand will incur a fine of Dh300
Credits
Produced by: Colour Yellow Productions and Eros Now
Director: Mudassar Aziz
Cast: Sonakshi Sinha, Jimmy Sheirgill, Jassi Gill, Piyush Mishra, Diana Penty, Aparshakti Khurrana
Star rating: 2.5/5
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EGuillermo%20del%20Toro%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Tim%20Blake%20Nelson%2C%20Sebastian%20Roche%2C%20Elpidia%20Carrillo%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Which honey takes your fancy?
Al Ghaf Honey
The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year
Sidr Honey
The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest
Samar Honey
The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments
THE DRAFT
The final phase of player recruitment for the T10 League has taken place, with UAE and Indian players being drafted to each of the eight teams.
Bengal Tigers
UAE players: Chirag Suri, Mohammed Usman
Indian: Zaheer Khan
Karachians
UAE players: Ahmed Raza, Ghulam Shabber
Indian: Pravin Tambe
Kerala Kings
UAE players: Mohammed Naveed, Abdul Shakoor
Indian: RS Sodhi
Maratha Arabians
UAE players: Zahoor Khan, Amir Hayat
Indian: S Badrinath
Northern Warriors
UAE players: Imran Haider, Rahul Bhatia
Indian: Amitoze Singh
Pakhtoons
UAE players: Hafiz Kaleem, Sheer Walli
Indian: RP Singh
Punjabi Legends
UAE players: Shaiman Anwar, Sandy Singh
Indian: Praveen Kumar
Rajputs
UAE players: Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed
Indian: Munaf Patel
Abu Dhabi GP schedule
Friday: First practice - 1pm; Second practice - 5pm
Saturday: Final practice - 2pm; Qualifying - 5pm
Sunday: Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps) - 5.10pm
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
Mazen Abukhater, principal and actuary at global consultancy Mercer, Middle East, says the company’s Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index - which benchmarks 34 pension schemes across the globe to assess their adequacy, sustainability and integrity - included Saudi Arabia for the first time this year to offer a glimpse into the region.
The index highlighted fundamental issues for all 34 countries, such as a rapid ageing population and a low growth / low interest environment putting pressure on expected returns. It also highlighted the increasing popularity around the world of defined contribution schemes.
“Average life expectancy has been increasing by about three years every 10 years. Someone born in 1947 is expected to live until 85 whereas someone born in 2007 is expected to live to 103,” Mr Abukhater told the Mena Pensions Conference.
“Are our systems equipped to handle these kind of life expectancies in the future? If so many people retire at 60, they are going to be in retirement for 43 years – so we need to adapt our retirement age to our changing life expectancy.”
Saudi Arabia came in the middle of Mercer’s ranking with a score of 58.9. The report said the country's index could be raised by improving the minimum level of support for the poorest aged individuals and increasing the labour force participation rate at older ages as life expectancies rise.
Mr Abukhater said the challenges of an ageing population, increased life expectancy and some individuals relying solely on their government for financial support in their retirement years will put the system under strain.
“To relieve that pressure, governments need to consider whether it is time to switch to a defined contribution scheme so that individuals can supplement their own future with the help of government support,” he said.
