The wife of Tunisia's ousted ruler has fled the country with 1.5 tonnes of gold worth more than £35m, it was revealed today.
President Zine El Abidin Ben Ali's wife Leila Trabelsi - dubbed the Imelda Marcos of the Arab world - is said to have ordered the Tunisian central bank chief to hand over the gold bars last week.
When the bank boss initially refused, she begged her husband to authorise the release of the bullion, and he gave in to her
demands, French daily Le Monde reports.
After taking possession of the gold, Trabelsi, 53, flew first to Dubai then on to the Saudi capital Jeddah to join her husband, who had escaped there on Friday.
A senior French intelligence source told Le Monde: 'It seems that the wife of Ben Ali is the person who left with 1.5 tonnes of gold worth 45 million euros.'
The amount equates to an estimated quarter of Tunisia's gold reserves - and would take up roughly 2.6 cubic feet in gold bars.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1347938/Tunisian-presidents-wife-Leila-Trabelsi-fled-riots-35m-gold-bars.html#ixzz1BLNeI2do
President Zine El Abidin Ben Ali's wife Leila Trabelsi - dubbed the Imelda Marcos of the Arab world - is said to have ordered the Tunisian central bank chief to hand over the gold bars last week.
When the bank boss initially refused, she begged her husband to authorise the release of the bullion, and he gave in to her
demands, French daily Le Monde reports.
After taking possession of the gold, Trabelsi, 53, flew first to Dubai then on to the Saudi capital Jeddah to join her husband, who had escaped there on Friday.
A senior French intelligence source told Le Monde: 'It seems that the wife of Ben Ali is the person who left with 1.5 tonnes of gold worth 45 million euros.'
The amount equates to an estimated quarter of Tunisia's gold reserves - and would take up roughly 2.6 cubic feet in gold bars.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1347938/Tunisian-presidents-wife-Leila-Trabelsi-fled-riots-35m-gold-bars.html#ixzz1BLNeI2do
3 comments:
Hi Ummie...I sure got some unprintable words for these people.
How such people can see the poor people in their country, no food, no work and they enjoying their lives...
These so called politicians and wives are nothing but crooks! Sad.
Best regards, lee.
I hope she'll be caught for looting the country's coffers..
Just like that?? Like a movie??
I simply could not find any words best describe how I feel watching the news & reading about the country.
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