France seizes bank accounts of Ben Ali aides

PARIS: France has seized 12 bank accounts of four aides of ousted Tunisian president Zine el Abidine Ben Ali, worth 12 million euros, sources close to the investigation said Wednesday.

French courts had already seized an airplane belonging to the family of the former ruler during the course of an inquiry launched after the fall of his regime on January 14.

It follows a claim of corruption, misappropriation of funds and money laundering made by non-governmental organisations, Transparency International, France, Sherpa and the Arab human rights commission.

"It's a step, but it's a drop in the ocean," lawyer William Bourdon told AFP.