The Tunisian government has seized a 51 percent stake of Orange Tunisia owned by entrepreneur Marwan Mabrouk, the son-in-law of former president Ben Ali, Les Echos reports. After initially freezing the assets of Mabrouk and his ex-wife Cyrine Ben Ali, both Orange Tunisia executives, along with those of over 100 of Ben Ali's family and friends, the government published a decree in the official gazette during the week of 21 March to make the seizures official. France Telecom told the newspaper that nothing changes on the operational level and that for Orange Tunisia, it is business as usual. The Tunisian government has set up an inquiry commission that has six months to decide what to do with the assets confiscated from Ben Ali's friends and family. The 51 percent stake of Orange Tunisie could be sold to a third party or floated on the stock market, writes Les Echos. A buyout by France Telecom is unlikely in the short term because its licence terms prevent it from owning a controlling stake of Orange Tunisia before April 2014.
