Ghannouchi's wealth stirs up hornet's nest in Tunisia

A report by the Tunisian newspaper al-Anwar has come to ratchet up pressures on the Ennahda Movement.

The report focuses on the wealth of Ennahda's head Rached Ghannouchi.

It estimates this wealth at 2.7 billion Tunisian dinars.

Ghannouchi's wealth has been a debatable issue for some time now. It raises questions on its sources. The same wealth also raises questions on whether the Ennahda head has abused his power.

The report by al-Anwar is the first document to go into Ghannouchi's financial secrets in depth.

According to the newspaper, Ghannouchi deposits some of his money in Swiss banks.

He also owns stakes in overseas companies, including three companies in France that are involved in the retail business.

The newspaper noted that Ghannouchi's relatives, including his two sons and his son-in-law, manage his business empire.

The newspaper says Ghannouchi had got $30 million in return for easing the smuggling of arms into Libya.

This came after Ghannouchi eased the crossing of 20 trucks loaded with arms from Tunisia into Libya in return for commission.

Ennahda rejected the contents of the report and described it as "misleading".

The movement denounced what it described as a systematic media campaign against Ennahda and its head.

Ordinary Tunisians received, meanwhile, the report published by al-Anwar newspaper with shock.

Some Tunisian politicians have called for bringing Ghannouchi to account.

Some of these politicians said ordinary Tunisians only know that Ghannouchi was a schoolteacher who had escaped to France decades ago and returned to Tunisia.

They added that the Ennahda head does not have any known business activities.