President of the Republic Kais Saied on Wednesday, visited a water bottling and juice manufacturing company in Zaghouan, a milk collection company in Nefza, in Beja governorate, and the former headquarters of the Tunisian dairy processing company "STIL" in Bab Saadoun. The President of the Republic stressed the need to initiate a thorough investigation into the manipulation of the Tunisian dairy processing company "STIL," following the decision to liquidate it in 2002, on the pretext of rehabilitating national institutions and facilities, and the "criminal process" that had accompanied its liquidation over 20 years, and how its brand and real estate assets had been acquired by other companies. He stated that checks have been made over the past days on "the status of the STIL company," which still exists legally, indicating that the process of liquidating this national company, which have started since 2003 and is still ongoing in the name of privatisation, is actually "a rip-off of one of the country's pub lic assets," he considered. He also confirmed that there is a lot of evidence pointing to the existence of a whole network of corruption in relation to the "STIL" brand, the plant and the real estate owned by the company and how it had gone "bankrupt" and had acquired all these properties, in addition to the existence of current accounts in a number of banks and other hidden accounts in one of the banks. The President of the Republic stated that the "STIL" company had been sold more than once and is subject to liquidation, pointing to the existence of a whole network of companies or subsidiaries affiliated to it, and numerous products that still bear the "STIL" brand. The company is still a " front company " behind which other companies operate and others are hiding. He also affirmed that there is a great deal of evidence pointing to the existence of a whole network of corruption in relation to the brand. He pointed out that several drinks and food products are manufactured under the name "STIL," with the exception of its original product, which is milk, whose production has ceased some time ago, leading to the current crisis and the serious shortage the country is suffering in this substance. Saied asserted that the company had gone "bankrupt" after turning a profit, and that its properties in Marsa and Bab Saadoun had been sold at prices that belie their true value, adding that other companies had sold off numerous properties and current accounts that are still owned by STIL. He also announced that 11 flats belonging to the "STIL" company had been discovered in Marsa region, pointing out that the properties belonging to this company are either in a dilapidated state, or shut down, or illegally sold off. The Head of State underscored the need to restore all national institutions and public facilities that had been illegally neglected, and to put an end to corruption in the dairy sector, geared towards the manufacture of cheeses, yoghurts and other food products, in view of the crisis in the availability of this basic product to citizens, stating that a National Office for Forage will be set up shortly to put an end to the monopoly of this product and the manipulation of its prices. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse