Montenegro Joins Sanctions on Tunisia's Ex-Leaders

Montenegro is to introduce sanctions against former top officials of Tunisia who are accused of money laundering and misuse of office, joining an EU decision adopted earlier this year.

According to a government paper that BIRN has seen, sanctions include the freezing the assests and imposing a travel ban on 48 former government members and persons linked to the deposed President, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

The decision, discussed in the cabinet meeting last week, ordered the Finance Ministry, the Central Bank and the administration to comply with the EU decision on freezing assets.

The Tunisian President was forced out as the result of widespread Arab Spring protests against his authoritarian regime in January 2011.

The new Tunisian authorities subsequently took legal action against several individual members of the former government and those close to them, on suspicion of embezzling public property and other economic crimes.

In light of this, the EU also introduced targeted sanctions, which were subsequently extended, for the last time in January 2015.

Last April, Montenegro joined EU and Western sanctions on Russia despite a centuries-old tradition of friendly ties.

The government said it had no choice but to join the sanctions on the Kremlin over Ukraine, as harmony with EU positions is a national priority for a country seeking EU membership.