A Tunisian court has sentenced prominent businessman Marouan Mabrouk to prison on corruption charges.
The court also handed jail terms to a former prime minister and several former cabinet members linked to the case.
Mabrouk, considered one of the country’s wealthiest businessmen, has been in detention since late 2023.
He is the son-in-law of former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who was ousted during Tunisia’s 2011 uprising.
Unlike many of Ben Ali’s relatives, Mabrouk remained in Tunisia after the revolution.
Prosecutors accused Mabrouk of ‘money laundering, misusing funds from state-owned firms and benefiting unlawfully from government decisions.’
He has business interests in retail, banking, telecommunications and the automotive sector, including stakes in major local and international companies.
Former Prime Minister Youssef Chahed, who led the government from 2016 to 2020, was sentenced in absentia as he is currently in the United States.
Chahed has denied the allegations, saying the case is politically driven.
He and several former ministers including those responsible for foreign affairs, finance, human rights and communication technologies each received six-year prison terms and heavy financial penalties over their role in lifting an asset freeze previously imposed on Mabrouk.
The case comes as President Kais Saied continues an anti-corruption drive launched after he dissolved parliament and took sweeping powers in 2021.
In 2022, Saied set up a committee aimed at recovering billions of dollars from businessmen accused of corruption, saying the funds would help ease Tunisia’s financial crisis.
However, no significant recoveries have been publicly confirmed so far.
Reuters/Hauwa M