Tunisian Capital Plagued by "Parking Mafia"
On Monday, October 13, 2025, on the National Radio, commentator Moez Ben Othmane revealed that nearly 80% of towing operations in the Tunisian capital are carried out in blatant violation of the law, in the absence of a judicial police officer whose presence is nevertheless mandatory.
Alarming Statistics
With 125,000 vehicles towed every year, equivalent to around 400 per day, and 106,000 wheel clamps installed, corresponding to approximately 340 daily fines, Tunis has become, according to him, the scene of a real "parking mafia" operating with impunity for over twenty years.
Denouncing a Disastrous Contract
Ben Othmane denounced a contract he deemed disastrous between the Municipality of Tunis and several private companies responsible for towing and wheel clamping. "How can we accept that a municipality only receives 5% of the turnover of companies that use its name and prerogatives?" he indignantly asked. Despite a colossal volume of activity since 2003, none of these companies have declared substantial profits, with most showing continuous losses. The only exception was recorded in 2015, when a profit of 549 million dinars was made, "because there was then a municipal controller who worked conscientiously," the commentator specified, claiming to have tangible evidence of corruption.
The Heart of the Problem
The core of the problem lies, according to him, in the manifest irregularity of procedures. The law requires the presence of a judicial police officer or a sworn agent to validate any towing or wheel clamping operation. However, 70% of interventions in the Bab Bhar sector and 80% in the entire capital are carried out without this legal supervision. Employees, often from private companies, have no right to act without the approval of an authorized authority. This is compounded by the almost total absence of municipal control: "Some municipal controllers clock in in the morning and then go do taxi driving, while private agents install wheel clamps in complete illegality," he lamented. The illegality even extends to the equipment used, with some towing vehicles circulating for over thirty years without undergoing a technical inspection.
Regulatory Issues
On a regulatory level, the removal of a vehicle is only lawful if specific signage, representing a tow truck and indicating the location of the pound, is clearly displayed in addition to the no-parking sign. In reality, this signage is often absent, and vehicles are sometimes removed from areas where towing is itself prohibited. Concerned citizens are simply advised to file a complaint, a step rarely successful. The towing intervention schedules also remain unclear, with some companies operating until 6 pm, 7 pm, or even 8 pm, including on Saturdays, without any clear information being provided to the public.
Disproportionate Costs and Lack of Transparency
The cost of recovering a vehicle was deemed "largely disproportionate" (70 dinars) by the commentator, who also pointed out the lack of clarity regarding responsibility in case of damage caused during towing. Moreover, the companies involved have not presented their financial statements for the last three years, in violation of their legal obligations. For Ben Othmane, this financial opacity translates to the existence of a deeply corrupt system, where companies that have been deficit-ridden for over twenty years continue to pay their dues and retain their concessions despite this.
Call for Urgent Reform
In the face of this situation, Moez Ben Othmane called for urgent reform and for the Municipality of Tunis to take back control of the sector. "It is imperative that the municipality takes back control of its prerogatives and assets," he emphasized, demanding a complete audit of the contracts and companies involved. He also suggested adopting modern digital solutions to optimize parking management and reviewing tariffs downward, proposing to reduce the cost of recovering a vehicle from 50 to 20 dinars. According to him, such a measure could paradoxically improve the system's yield and put an end to a network of irregularities and questionable practices that have been plaguing the Tunisian capital for too long.
