The director of the Mornaguia civil prison has been relieved of his duties, said spokesperson for Directorate General of Prisons and Rehabilitation, Ramzi Kouki. The decision follows ongoing investigations into the escape of five dangerous inmates serving sentences related to terrorist offences. Minister of Justice Leila Jaffel, who made the decision on Tuesday, also instructed the General Inspectorate of the Ministry of Justice to conduct in-depth administrative investigations and determine accountability in this matter. The Ministry of the Interior had announced the escape of these five dangerous terrorists from the Mornaguia civil prison in Manouba governorate earlier in the day. One of them was involved in the assassination of the martyrs Mohamed Brahmi and Chokri Belaid. In a statement to TAP, Kouki also said that a team from the General Inspectorate had been sent to the Mornaguia civil prison, with the Inspector General leading the delegation. Following the notification of the escape by the competent police and judicial authorities, the Public Prosecutor, the investigating judge of the Judicial Anti-Terrorism Unit and the Public Prosecutor of the Court of First Instance of Manouba, in conjunction with the specialised security units, are actively engaged in carrying out comprehensive investigations, inquiries and the necessary assessments. In addition, there has been close coordination with the Ministry of the Interior to circulate the identities and photographs of the aforementioned individuals. Security units have been sensitised to intensify their search, investigation and prompt inspection efforts to apprehend them as soon as possible. Kouki also reiterated his call to all citizens to report the five escapees if they see them or have any relevant information. He reassured the public, saying: “This incident is unusual in our prisons and does not happen regularly. It will not undermine the security of our prisons”.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse