Corruption in Tunisia’s telecom sector revealed

Over the past two months since former President Zein al-Abidine Ben Ali was ousted after a massive protest movement set the country into turmoil, a dark history has emerged within the telecommunications industry. France Telecom has been reported to have used corrupt practices to ensure its continued presence in the North African country.

But the company has largely denied the charges, saying it has not participated in illegal activity.

The business community is now attempting to understand and come to terms with that murky past as the country pushes forward.

“We have begun to see the full effects of the government in this country and while it is frustrating to say the least, we believe that by knowing what happened, we will avoid those same mistakes,” said Abdelaziz Omani, an analyst.

Others believe that staying optimistic in the current tumultuous situation is key to the country pushing forward.

“It is not every year we have a revolution,” said Hisham Elloumi of UTICA at the Tunisian employer’s association. “It’s not even every 10 years. We weren’t prepared for this.”

The history of corruption came to light after the fall of Ben Ali when national newspapers began publishing public and private corruption reports.

They reported that the business interests of the former president and his wife “extended from car distribution and importing consumer products to retailing, cement, air transport, property, telecommunications, banking and the media,” the Financial Times reported.

Despite this history, Omani said that the current investment atmosphere is positive and that the telecom industry is rebounding smoothly and is likely to see massive growth this year.

“The revolution came and it was buttressed by the telecom sector greatly, so companies understand and want to be a part of this mass movement online and in mobile tech. It will be a good year,” he added.

By Jonathan Terry