Funds frozen in Swiss bank accounts are "linked to" a Tunisian politician suspected of embezzlement but are not his, prosecutors said on Thursday.
"Geneva Prosecutor Dario Zanni clarifies that...the assets frozen in Swiss bank accounts are 'linked' to Khayam Turki and not 'in the name of' the Tunisian politician," said his office in a statement.
The announcement is an attempt to clarify recent contradictory media reports about who owns the assets.
Turki is a senior figure in Tunisia's left-wing Ettakatol party.
At the end of 2011, he was expected to stand for the post of finance minister in elections that followed the ousting of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, before withdrawing his candidacy.
Turki is said to have made the decision to pull out after allegations of mismanagement and misappropriation of funds were levelled at him from his time as director of
Emirates International Investment Company (EIIC), Swiss news agency ATS reported.
Turki denies the charges.
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