The Ben Ali Family Fled Tunisia with 1.5 tons of gold

[Catherina]

Source: Le Monde

The Ben Ali Family Fled Tunisia with 1.5 tons of gold

LEMONDE pour Le Monde.fr | 16.01.11 | 22h18 • Mis à jour le 16.01.11 | 22h31



English Tranlsation


The family of ousted President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali of Tunisia fled with 1.5 tons of gold. This is the belief of the French secret services, who are trying to piece together the events of Friday 14 January, the day of the departure of the President and his family and the downfall of his regime.

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. She then flew to Dubai, according to French news, before leaving for Jeddah. "It seems that the wife of Ben Ali is the party who left with the gold," said a senior French official. "1.5 tons of gold, that makes 45 million euros," explained a source.

Mr. Ben Ali did not believe his fall would be as rapid as it was. According to Paris, he recorded a new speech he never had the time to broadcast. Their analysis is that he didn't leave the country voluntarily but was forcibly removed. According to European intelligence services, the Army and the Chief of Staff who refused to fire on the crowds played a leading role in the removal of Mr. Ben Ali.

Libyan intervention

How Ben Ali was able to make it out of the country is unclear. Several European embassies believe that, to avoid a violent departure, Libyan security services played a role in exfiltrating Ben Ali. Sunday's statements by Muammar Gaddafi - that he regretted the outcome of the Tunisian crisis - reinforce Paris' analyis.

...

http://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2011/01/16/la-famille-ben-ali-se-serait-enfuie-de-tunisie-avec-1-5-tonne-d-or_1466365_3212.html#ens_id=1245377&xtor=RSS-3208?utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Le+Monde+Une&utm_term=Le+Monde&utm_content=Le+Monde&utm_source=twitterfeed


Original

La famille Ben Ali se serait enfuie de Tunisie avec 1,5 tonne d'or

LEMONDE pour Le Monde.fr | 16.01.11 | 22h18 • Mis à jour le 16.01.11 | 22h31

La famille du président déchu Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali se serait enfuie de Tunisie avec 1,5 tonne d'or. C'est une supposition des services secrets français, qui essaient de comprendre comment s'est achevée la journée de vendredi 14 janvier, qui a vu le départ du président et de sa famille et la chute de son régime.

Selon des informations collectées à Tunis, Leïla Trabelsi, la femme du président, se serait rendue à la Banque de Tunisie chercher des lingots d'or. Le gouverneur aurait refusé. Mme Ben Ali aurait appelé son mari, qui aurait d'abord lui aussi refusé, puis cédé. Elle a ensuite pris un vol pour Dubaï, selon les informations françaises, avant de repartir pour Djeddah. "Il semblerait que la femme de Ben Ali soit partie avec de l'or", explique un haut responsable français. "1,5 tonnes d'or, cela fait 45 millions d'euros", traduit une source.

M. Ben Ali, lui, ne croyait pas sa chute aussi rapide. Pour preuve, selon Paris, il aurait enregistré une nouvelle allocution, qui n'a pas eu le temps d'être diffusée. Il n'aurait donc pas quitté le pays volontairement mais aurait été destitué. L'armée, et le chef d'état-major qui avait refusé de tirer sur la foule, ont, selon les services européens, joué un rôle de premier plan dans la destitution de M. Ben Ali.

INTERVENTION LIBYENNE

La manière dont il a pu quitter le pays n'est pas claire. Pour éviter une issue violente, plusieurs chancelleries européennes estiment que les services de sécurité libyens ont joué un rôle dans l'exfiltration de M. Ben Ali. Les propos de Mouammar Kadhafi – qui dit regretter l'issue de la crise tunisienne – tenus ce dimanche renforcent ce sentiment à Paris.

...

http://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2011/01/16/la-famille-ben-ali-se-serait-enfuie-de-tunisie-avec-1-5-tonne-d-or_1466365_3212.html#ens_id=1245377&xtor=RSS-3208?utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Le+Monde+Une&utm_term=Le+Monde&utm_content=Le+Monde&utm_source=twitterfeed

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I think it's more likely that the French rescued their good ally. The Presidential Palace is crawling with foreign mercenaries that the Tunisian Army is battling and arresting.



The foreign mercenaries in this video look awfully blonde and un-Libyan. The caption reads "Tunisian Army kills and arrests a number of foreign mercenaries in the presidential palace"

Here's a better video Tunisians just posted of the Army arresting some foreign saboteurs: http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1554651865910&comments

[dipsydoodle]

1. That helps explain

why the army are rounding up his security forces.

:hi:

16 January 2011 Last updated at 21:04 BBC News

Tunisian forces are exchanging fire near the presidential palace with members of deposed President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali's guard, reports say.

Witnesses reported heavy gunfire in Carthage, north of the capital Tunis, where the palace is located.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12202283

[Catherina]

6. They've arrested 1700 militiamen and have the palace under control now!

(Quick translation)

Tunisia: Carthage presidential palace stormed by the army

The army regained control of the presidential palace in Carthage, which was occupied for 48 hours by members of the militia loyal to former President Ben Ali. The arrests are counted by the hundreds.

Scenes of war in Tunis. Sunday night, helicopters still flew overhead at low altitude in the capital, but this time with spotlights. At issue: militia abuses in support of ousted President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali. The army fought them tooth and nail. The presidential palace in Carthage, where hundreds of militiamen from the presidential guard had established their headquarters for 48 hours, was stormed by the soldiers who took control.

The Army's actions over last few hours has resulted in the arrest of some 1,700 militiamen, but some remnants continued to fire on the army and bully the population as in La Marsa, and Sidi Bizerte Bou Said. High level executives of the former regime have also been arrested, as well as Kays, a nephew of Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali and the widow and father Imed Trabelsi (another nephew of Leila Ben Ali, who was murdered Friday).

...

http://ht.ly/3ENki

Tunisie : le palais présidentiel de Carthage pris d'assaut par l'armée

16/01/2011 à 22h:00 Par Frida Dahmani, à Tunis


L'armée a repris le contrôle du palais présidentiel de Carthage qui était occupé depuis 48 heures par des membres de la milice favorable à l'ex-président Ben Ali. Les arrestations se comptent par centaines.

Scènes de guerre à Tunis. Dimanche soir, les hélicoptères survolaient encore à basse altitude la capitale, mais cette fois avec des projecteurs. En cause : les exactions de miliciens favorables au président déchu Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, que l'armée combat pied à pied. Le palais présidentiel de Carthage, où des centaines de miliciens de la sécurité présidentielle avaient établi leur quartier général depuis 48 heures, a été pris d'assaut par les militaires qui en ont pris le contrôle.

L'action de la Grande muette ces dernières heures s’est soldée par l'arrestation de quelque 1 700 miliciens, mais certains irréductibles ont continué de tirer sur l'armée et de martyriser la population comme à La Marsa, à Bizerte et à Sidi Bou Saïd. D'imposants cadres de l'ancien régime ont également été mis aux arrêts. Ainsi de Kays, un neveu de Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali et de la veuve et du père de Imed Trabelsi (autre neveu de Leïla Ben Ali, assassiné vendredi).

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http://ht.ly/3ENki

[d_r]

2. how do you move

three thousand pounds of gold? It would take a fairly good sized truck - I guess a one ton pickup could probably do it, but I don't know. I googled it - a ton is about a 15 inch cube of gold. Not that big but really heavy. That's why I'm not sure how to haul it, would the dense weight in a small area bear down the suspension. Oh well, I'll never have to worry about it.

eta that's probably 1.5 metric tons

[Catherina]

7. I don't know but if anyone can commandeer the equipment to do it

the powerful can.

Saudi Arabia sent several Boeings to Tunisia supposedly to pick up *people*. Your question about how they transported it is a good one because I think the Tunisian people would have been on the lookout.

[liberal N proud]

8. Probably not all at once

[AngryAmish]

20. Wouldn't you want to put it on a pallet or at least a diamondplate sheet?

I could imagine putting that on a floorboard then hitting a pothole, bammo!, gold all over the road.

[Heywood J]

22. Think of it less like a heavy cube.

A bit of quick math on the volume says it should work out to about 110 bars, at about 27.5lbs apiece. That's certainly transportable by a fairly small group people and one or two vehicles. For example, the carrying capacity of a heavier passenger car is four or five people - equivalent to about 600lbs plus the driver and guard. Divide 3000lbs by 600lbs and you get ten people in five nondescript cars taking off for points unknown with 22 bars each. Vans (3), small trucks (2), limousines (3), and desperation give better numbers.

If he's got 1700 militiamen willing to fight the army in his wake, he has a few loyal people to spare to hand-load and drive nondescript vehicles.

[Journeyman]

3. Then skedaddled to the Kingdom of Criminal Refuge. . .

there to join the bones of Idi Amin at some indeterminate date in the distant future. . .

[liberal N proud]

9. Suppose Ken Lay will be there too?

[daleo]

4. Roughly 50 million dollars worth of gold

By a quick mental calculation. I guess he didn't trust Swiss banks with his loot.

Beck likes gold too.

[leveymg]

13. Small-time looter. Most of the real baddies get away with billions.

Pahlavi, Marcos, Seko, Bush-Cheney . . .

[Skink]

5. I'd fly southwest to avoid the baggage fees.

[HowHasItComeToThis]

10. THEY ARE ALL SLIME

[Alhena]

11. They really look European to me - odd

[Odin2005]

14. Northwest Africans look more European than Middle-Eastern

18th century racialist dumbfucks made a big deal out of it.

[aquart]

12. They don't look French to me. German, maybe?

There were some German passports confiscated. Remember that international security firms recruit from everywhere.

[Catherina]

21. I read they arrested heavily armed Germans and Swedes

Their excuse, when caught with all their weapons and ammo, was that they were there to hunt wild boar.

Good reminder about recruiting from everywhere.

[comtec]

15. Holy shit! You mean one of those Emails could have been real?!

heh jk

[Blandocyte]

16. TONS? Tons?

Ay, ay, ay!

[conspirator]

17. I am sure Gadaffi got his free passage commission of gold, just in time for his coronation n/t

[Joanne98]

18. OH MAN! That's a lot of gold!

[lonestarnot]

19. Oink oink oink big fat piggies!