The trial against Tunisia’s ousted former President, Zine el Abidine Ben Ali (pictured here along with his wife), began while he was in exile in Saudi Arabia on Monday in the capital, Tunis. While Tunisian authorities requested that Saudi authorities extradite the former President, they did not respond to the request.
Mr. Ben Ali is currently implicated in 93 civil cases and another 182 cases that fall under the military’s jurisdiction, including charges of money laundering, drug trafficking, and embezzlement after around $27 million in jewels were discovered in two palaces of his outside of Tunis once he fled to Saudi Arabia.
Mr. Ben Ali is currently being defended by 5 public defenders appointed by the court, as Mr. Ben Ali’s French lawyer is not eligible to represent him, as foreigners are not allowed to defend clients in Tunisia.
For the more in-depth story from the Tripoli Post, please click here. Please also note that the photo of Mr. Ben Ali and his wife come from the Tripoli Post’s original article.
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