Tunisia: Trials Begin for Ben Ali’s Inner Circle

Al-Jazeera reports that 23 allies of former Tunisian leader Zine el Abidine Ben Ali “have appeared before a court in the capital Tunis for trying to flee the country last January with illegally obtained foreign currency.” On January 14th, 14 men and nine women were captured when trying to escape from Tunisia with a ‘large sum of money’, the same day Ben Ali and his wife fled to exile in Saudi Arabia.

One of the detainees was captured with 36 watches and five kilograms of jewelry at an airport, another was caught with 17,500 euros and $2,400.

In June, Ben Ali and his wife were sentenced to 35 years in prison as well as fined $65 millionĀ ”for misappropriating public funds.” Additionally, Ben Ali received 15.5 years jail time for possession of weapons, drugs, and archaeological items on July 4th.