Former Tunisia intel chief accuses Saied’s government of spying on opponents, fabricating cases

Former Tunisian intelligence chief Kamel Guizani has accused relatives of President Kais Saied and senior officials in Tunisia’s government of spying on opposition leaders and fabricating court cases to imprison them.

Speaking on Al Jazeera’s Maghareb Podcast, Guizani alleged that members of Saied’s family and the president’s security chief were involved in surveillance operations and the unlawful use of state institutions. He said the case was the real reason behind the prosecution of judge Bashir Akremi and the dismissal of dozens of judges.

Guizani also accused former Interior Minister Taoufik Charfeddine of overseeing the fabrication of security-related cases, in cooperation with the Justice Ministry, to target political and human rights opponents and strengthen the ruling system.

He said that “some officers were forced to write reports lacking credibility in terms of time and place”, describing the actions as “state crimes” targeting anyone who stood in the way of President Kais Saied’s agenda since early 2022.

Guizani said investigations carried out by security agencies under his supervision “proved the existence of a close connection in the wiretapping case between the Director-General of Presidential Security, Khaled Yahiawi, and individuals from the president’s very close family circle”.