European Forum

Ben Ali and wife ‘guilty of theft’

Ousted Tunisian president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali and his wife Leila have been sentenced to 35 years in prison each after being found guilty of theft and unlawful possession of cash and jewellery. Reading out the verdict and sentence in the courtroom after just one day of deliberation, the judge also ruled Ben Ali and his wife would have to pay fines totalling 65.6 million USD. The judge said the verdict on other charges, relating to illegal possession of drugs and weapons, would be pronounced on June 30, according to the Reuters news agency. The couple, who left Tunisia for Saudi Arabia after a popular uprising in January, were tried in absentia. The presiding judge said a verdict on charges relating to illegal possession of drugs and weapons would be announced on 30 June.

Akram Azoury, a Ben Ali lawyer who is based in Beirut, said earlier that his client "strongly denies all charges they are trying to press as he never possessed the sums of money they claimed to have found in his office". Others criticised the process, arguing it did not go far enough in answering the calls for justice from the Tunisian people. "President Zine al Abadine Ben Ali has obstructed justice when he governed Tunisia, and right now he is manipulating the truth, Zied Cherni, a Tunisian lawyer said."

More serious charges, including plotting against the security of the state and murder, will be dealt with at future trials. Monday's session is only the beginning of a long legal process that may see senior members of Ben Ali's government in the dock over allegations including murder, torture, money laundering and trafficking of archaeological artefacts. Of the 93 charges Ben Ali and his inner circle now face, 35 will be referred to the military court, Kadhem Zine El Abidine, a justice ministry spokesperson, said. Five public defenders have been assigned to Ben Ali and his wife, Leila Trabelsi, who is accused in one of the two cases in Monday's trial.

AlJazeera, BBC, Photo Flickr stewartmorris