Kamal Ayadi, Minister of Public Service, Governance and Anti-Corruption in the caretaker government, says he has never come under pressure to cover up corruption cases, which have increased significantly since the revolution.

Minister Ayadi, how do you explain the increase in uncovering corruption cases during the negotiations to form a new government?

Kamal Ayadi, Minister of Public Service, Governance and Anti-Corruption in the caretaker government, says he has never come under pressure to cover up corruption cases, which have increased significantly since the revolution.

Minister Ayadi, how do you explain the increase in uncovering corruption cases during the negotiations to form a new government?

I do not have any explanation but I believe this is a message to those who think that corrupt people will go unnoticed or without prosecution. This is what matters more than the secret plots to sack a minister or appoint another. 

Tunisians say they are the main partners and protectors of the country’s resources and wealth from perpetrators. That is why we drafted a witness protection law. 

What is your ministry doing to tackle corruption, particularly in the health sector?

It should be highlighted that the ministry is responsible for developing the regulatory and institutionalization frameworks, rules and mechanisms. I think that ministers in Habib Essid’s government are aware of the government anti-corruption plan, presented twice before the cabinet. If corruption is spotted in any government department or institution, the relevant minister only has to apply this plan and the related mechanisms to track corruption in his ministry.

Why has Tunisia failed to restrain corruption despite the numerous monitoring structures and organizations?

I do not like to make final judgments. We should base our views on science to figure out whether we failed or we are achieving slow but consistent and fruitful progress in the short and long terms. Transparency International says Tunisia has made progress compared to other countries in Africa. Other international reports covering related indexes show that we are on the right track.

For example, a UN report issued in July 2016 ranked Tunisia 72^nd internationally, 2^nd in Africa and 7^th in the Arab World from 193 countries on the e-GDI index, which is three ranks higher than in 2014. This progress has a direct impact on attracting investors and reviving the national economy.

This also indicates that there is a political will to fight corruption especially through introducing needed legislation. We have to provide the legal foundation so that corruption becomes an exception rather than the norm.

Some people argue that the numerous anti-corruption structures with overlapped jurisdictions have complicated the mission.

My ministry’s mandate is clear and the same applies to the National Authority for the Fight Against Corruption, therefore we complement rather than contradict each other.

Many observers say corruption networks enjoy political and parliamentary protection.

I assure you that my ministry departments have cancelled suspicious transactions worth hundreds of billions (of dinars) and no political or partisan entity has interfered to change these decisions.

We are responsible and independent and we have not been under any pressure and all the corruption cases we studied have found their way to NAFAC. We have referred more than 500 corruption cases to NAFAC which, in turn, referred some cases to the judiciary.

What is your advice for the next Prime Minister Youssef al-Shahed who promised to fight corruption? Do you think that maintaining your ministry is important in the upcoming stage?

I do not think the prime minister needs any advice from me to change the government priorities or to preserve the ministry. What he needs from me and from everybody is a dose of optimism about the future and honest commitment to help our country tackle this critical situation.

Some people accuse you of poor performance and of involvement in potential corruption cases related to the continuous training programs. What do you say?

Those speaking about poor performance are either speaking about another ministry or living in another country. Over six months, the ministry worked day and night on a number of critical projects to fight corruption using scientific and objective methods in partnership with international organizations.

In a very short amount of time, the ministry was able to develop a national plan in three domains: public service, governance and fighting corruption. The plan was presented to the parliament committees and we organized workshops and consulted with different civil society players about it. We have prepared a package of government orders and draft laws to pave the way for implementing the plan, including the law of preventing companies involved in corruption cases from participating in public tenders.

As for the accusations leveled against me by “I Watch” organization, the Inkyfada website investigated the issue and was provided with all documents they requested. They uncovered the truth in this imaginary case and many people responded on social media and I think their responses are sufficient.