Tunisia's Ministry of Finance has started to auction off 39 luxury cars that were confiscated in January of 2011 from ex-dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and members of his family.
The fleet of cars includes a Maybach 62, a Mercedes-Benz CL65?AMG, an Aston Martin Vanquish, a McLaren SLR and a Rolls Royce Silver Spirit. ?The Ben Ali family seemingly had a penchant for American cars and the auction also features a Cadillac Escalade, a Ford Expedition and an armored Cadillac DTS limousine.?
Sources familiar with the auction claim that the 39 cars are just a fraction of the Ben Ali family's fleet. ?A total of 200 cars were reportedly seized when the dictator and his family fled to Saudi Arabia after being ousted from power.
Not limited to cars, the auction also includes artwork, jewelry, articles of clothing and a wide array of miscellaneous objects and artifacts. ?The Tunisian government hopes that the sale will return a total of 20 million Dinar, or roughly $12.9 million.
The money raised by the auction will be factored into the country's budget for the next fiscal year.
"All the financial returns will enter the government budget which includes the regional development, infrastructure and general investment projects," said Khalil Elzawiah, the minister of social affairs.
Tunisian government auctions ex-dictator's cars Reviewed by Ronan Glon on December 23 The fleet of cars includes a McLaren SLR and a Cadillac Escalade. Rating: