Tunisia’s Independent High Authority for Elections confirmed that media tycoon Nabil Karoui Karoui remains eligible to run in the presidential race despite his ongoing prosecution
The start of Tunisia’s election season on Monday saw the participation of 26 candidates, including businessman and media magnate Nabil Karoui, 56, who was arrested last month along with his lawyer brother Ghazi Karoui on tax fraud and money laundering charges.
“It’s a terrible blow to Tunisian judiciary! A top frontrunner incarcerated in such abusive way”, Yadh Elloumi, a leader of Karoui’s party, said on his way to Tuesday’s hearing before the court pronounced its judgment. “Our judiciary is in the hands of the executive power.” His political party said the charges are politically motivated, and accused Chahed of masterminding the arrest, saying the allegations against him date back to 2016 but had not been acted upon until recently because of the challenge he poses to established parties.
He was charged with money laundering in early July shortly after stating his intention to stand in the elections. In June, the poll-leading contestant was almost removed from the electoral race when parliament passed an amended electoral code that would bar candidates who received political publicity and those who own a charity in the year before the ballot. However, Essebsi neither rejected nor ratified the bill before he died, allowing the businessman to run.
Several political leaders and rights activists viewed the timing of his arrest, just three weeks before election time, as suspicious amid concerns that the incident would disrupt the electoral process.
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