A Tunisian court has sentenced the country’s richest businessman, Marouan Mabrouk, to 20 years in prison and former Prime Minister Youssef Chahed to six years in corruption cases.
Mabrouk, son-in-law of former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, was charged with money laundering, stealing funds from state companies, and obtaining illegal benefits from Chahed’s government.
Chahed was sentenced for his cabinet’s approval to lift the freezing of Mabrouk’s funds in European banks.
Mabrouk, a prominent businessman with interests in trade, banking, and communications, has been held in prison since late 2023. Chahed, who served as prime minister from 2016 to 2020, is currently abroad.
The court also sentenced six other former ministers to six years in prison on the same charges as Chahed.
President Kais Saied, who seized control of the government in 2021, had created a committee in 2022 to collect money from business owners allegedly involved in financial corruption cases. Saied had aimed to collect $5 billion, but the reconciliation committee has not announced any amounts received.
