Tunisian Court Hands Down Heavy Sentences in Landmark Corruption Case: Tycoon Mabrouk Gets 20 Years, Ex-PM Chahed Six

By Tarek Amara, Reuters

TUNIS, March 3 (Reuters) – A Tunisian court delivered a powerful blow against high-level corruption on Tuesday, sentencing Marouan Mabrouk, the nation's wealthiest businessman and a relative of former autocrat Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, to 20 years behind bars. Former Prime Minister Youssef Chahed received a six-year sentence in absentia, in a case that underscores the enduring struggle over accountability and power in the post-revolution state.

The verdicts, confirmed by lawyers involved, cap a long-running investigation into graft that has ensnared political and business elites. Mabrouk, who has been detained since late 2023, is a pivotal figure from the Ben Ali era who remained in Tunisia after the 2011 uprising. His family empire spans trade, banking, telecommunications, and a major supermarket chain, with stakes in entities like BIAT Bank and France's Orange telecoms.

Prosecutors successfully argued that Mabrouk engaged in money laundering, siphoned funds from state-owned companies, and illicitly benefited from decisions made during Chahed's 2016-2020 premiership. Chahed, currently abroad, was convicted for his cabinet's role in unfreezing Mabrouk's assets in European banks. Six other former ministers received identical six-year sentences.

The rulings are seen as a significant victory for President Kais Saied's anti-corruption drive. Since consolidating power in 2021—a move critics call a coup—Saied has positioned himself as a crusader against a corrupt establishment. In 2022, he established a committee tasked with recouping billions from businessmen allegedly involved in graft, aiming to shore up Tunisia's strained public finances.

"These business owners must pay. The state will not relinquish what is owed to it," Saied has previously declared, setting an ambitious target of recovering at least $5 billion. However, the committee's tangible results remain unclear, with no major publicized recoveries to date, leading some analysts to question the campaign's efficacy beyond its symbolic courtroom victories.

Reactions & Analysis:

Nadia K., Political Science Professor in Tunis: "These sentences are monumental. They target figures from both the old regime and the democratic transition period, sending a message that no one is above the law. However, the real test is whether this judicial rigor is applied uniformly or serves a political narrative."

Markus Schmidt, European Business Analyst: "For international investors, this creates a climate of legal uncertainty. While fighting corruption is essential, the process must be transparent and consistent to avoid being perceived as selective justice that could deter foreign capital Tunisia desperately needs."

Karim B., Café Owner in Sfax (voicing a sharper, more emotional perspective): "Twenty years for Mabrouk? It's a start, but it's 12 years too late! Where was this justice when he was flourishing under everyone's protection after 2011? And Chahed gets six years while he's comfortably abroad? This feels like a theatrical show to make us forget the economic disaster we're living in. Let's see the $5 billion actually appear in our empty state coffers, then maybe I'll believe it."

Leila F., Human Rights Advocate: "The severity of the sentences is notable. We must ensure, however, that the defendants' rights to a fair trial were fully respected and that these are not politically motivated verdicts. True justice strengthens institutions; politicized justice weakens them."

(Reporting by Tarek Amara; Editing by Ros Russell and William Maclean)