Tunisian court tripled sentence of presidential opponent
In what has been called a corrupt move, a Tunisian court has tripled the prison term of a previous presidential opponent reports Asharq Al-Awsat and agencies.
On the 2nd of February, popular media personality, Nabil Karoui, was sentenced to three years in prison after facing a raft of charges since being imprisoned in the run-up to the 2019 election where he challenged president Kais Saied.
The court’s spokesperson stated that Karoui was charged with unlawfully receiving more than $1 million in foreign funds to finance his campaign.
After originally being sentenced to one year, Karoui’s term has been tripled after Tunisia’s public prosecutor filed an appeal. As part of his punishment, he will no longer be eligible to run for office for the next five years.
READ: Hundreds of Tunisians demand release of Saied’s opponents
Karoui headed one of the country’s former largest political parties and founded the Tunisian television channel Nessma TV. He was imprisoned in the middle of his 2019 campaign season on suspicion of money laundering but was released before election day.
Plagued with charges, in 2021 he crossed from Tunisia to Algeria where he was then arrested and later fled. His whereabouts are still unknown.
Karoui is among the many prominent figures from business and politics who have been targeted in investigations of corruption, foreign funding and undermining state security.
READ: Tunisia chief jailed, Saied denies “political’ slur
Asharq Al-Awsat and agencies.
