Ousted Tunisian President Zine El Abidin Ben Ali and his wife Leila Trabelsi
Le Monde, disclosed on Monday that Leila Trabelsi, the wife of the ousted president, took the gold bars out of the country before the collapse of Ben Ali's regime
Posted on 01/17/2011 7:56:05 AM PST by Cardhu
The family of ousted Tunisian President Zine El Abidin Ben Ali has reportedly fled the country with 1.5 tons of gold worth more than 45 million euros.
Citing information received form the French secret services, the French newspaper, Le Monde, disclosed on Monday that Leila Trabelsi, the wife of the ousted president, took the gold bars out of the country before the collapse of Ben Ali's regime.
Ben Ali's 23-year rule ended on Friday after weeks of street protests all over the North African country.
"According to information gathered in Tunis, Leila Trabelsi, the president's wife allegedly went to the Bank of Tunisia for gold bars. The director of the bank refused. Mrs. Ben Ali called her husband, who had also initially refused, but then agreed," the newspaper said.
After receiving the gold bars, Treabelsi flew to Dubai before leaving for Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, the paper said.
"It seems that the wife of Ben Ali is the party who left with 1.5 tons of gold worth 45 million euros," a senior French official told the daily.
Reports also confirmed that Trabelsi had been in Dubai for several days.
In the past weeks, there have been massive street protests across Tunisia against what has been described as the theft of Tunisian wealth and lack of opportunities for the average citizen.
Many of Ben Ali's family members have left the African country for fear of personal safety.
On Saturday, a day after Ben Ali fled to Jeddah, luxury cars were smashed and shops and homes were looted and burned in the Tunisian capital, Tunis.
Ben Ali ruled Tunisia for more than two decades. His era was marred by repeated human rights violations and torture.
On Sunday, acting leaders in Tunisia discussed the composition of a unity government as post-revolution unrest continues to grip the North African country.
Le Monde, disclosed on Monday that Leila Trabelsi, the wife of the ousted president, took the gold bars out of the country before the collapse of Ben Ali's regime
BAHOG to go, please.
Well, I guess the tyrants agree: gold is a great way to protect your wealth under adverse circumstances.
It sure is, but now everyone knows where it is. Got to be a big embarrassment for the Saudis.
I doubt they're capable.
In view of the huge "gold importation tax" the Saudis will undoubtedly exact, I think that they'll be able to live with the embarrassment.
Regards,
Too bad he didn’t get the Ceausescu treatment.
So long as they are still alive, it will never be too late for the Ceausescu treatment.
I'm sure a couple hundred pounds of that gold will help the Saudis get over any shame they might have.
I was surprised about how little a ton and a half of gold was worth. When I think of $1300 / ounce it seems incredible expensive, but you can get that same value of of the country in hundred dollar bills in about half a ton. In 500 euro bills it would only weight about 220 pounds.
Forget about diamonds one and half tons of gold is a girl’s best friend.
She must be tired after digging all that gold. The sisterhood are filled with envy.
Not at all. They sheltered the cannibal Idi Amin until he died.
Ping
Each ton is almost exactly 32,000 troy ounces. So 1.5 X 32,000 is 48,000 troy ounces of gold. At $1350 per ounce, the amount is $64.8 million USD.
About 65.25 million dollars at $1360/oz. Of course, it will retain its value a lot longer than 220 pounds of 500 Euro bills.
Ready for any emergency!
Nearer 48,000,000€ but as both gold and the dollar fluctuates, more than 45,000,000€ is a ball park figure
That gandiose amount of gold is not something you can put in your suitcase - it has to be hidden somewhere - and it will be found.
LOL
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.