Tunisia received the first payment from funds that belonged to the previous regime, but were withdrawn from the country before the 2011 revolution. writes about this The Financial Times . UN-appointed asset finder Ali bin Fetais al-Marri handed over a check for $28.8 million to President Moncef Marzouki.

The funds were found in the Lebanese bank account of Leila Trabelsi, the wife of the country's former president Zine Ben Ali. It is noted, however, that this money is only a small part of the funds that Ben Ali and Trabelsi embezzled during their reign.

The money in the accounts of the couple and their relatives is, according to experts, in various accounts in the UK, USA, France, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Austria, Canada, UAE and Morocco. The total amount could exceed $20 billion.

Some Tunisian assets abroad were frozen by EU authorities. Only at the end of last year did Tunisia manage to achieve a decision on their return.

After the revolution, the Tunisian government managed to seize a significant part of the property of the presidential family. Late last year, the state began selling items at auction. We were talking about cars, yachts, carpets, jewelry and other luxury items.

After fleeing the country in early 2011, Zine Ben Ali, who ruled the country for more than 23 years, took refuge in the city of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. Tunisia got Interpol to place the former head of state and his wife on the international wanted list. The Saudi monarchy, however, is in no hurry to comply with the demands of the international organization.

Tunisia receives first payment from ousted president's foreign accounts