Tunisia: Ghannouchi sentenced to two years in prison and fined.

Arab Sea Newspaper - Special

Arab Sea - Follow-ups: A Tunisian court yesterday sentenced the former Speaker of the Tunisian Parliament and head of the "Ennahda" movement, the political arm of the "Muslim Brotherhood," Rached Ghannouchi, to two years in prison, in addition to fining him an amount close to $68,000. A member of Ghannouchi's defense team, lawyer Samir Dilou, said that the case is related to financial audits of the gains and transactions of members of parliament during the period between 2019 and 2024, which is the period during which Ghannouchi headed the legislative institution. He added that the ruling included a reference to a financial reward that Ghannouchi received in 2016, estimated at about $14,000, in exchange for an award from an organization concerned with spreading the values of peace, and he donated it to the Tunisian Red Crescent. The same speaker stressed that the ruling was issued without interrogation, and that the defense was not allowed to see all the details of the file, while the judicial authorities have not issued any clarifying statement about the circumstances of the decision so far. It is worth noting that Ghannouchi, who is 84 years old, faces many charges related to terrorism, corruption, and conspiracy against state security, charges he has always denied. Ghannouchi has been in prison since his arrest by the Tunisian authorities in April 2023.