Tunisian news agency Tunis Afrique Presse has reported that the Court of Appeal has upheld the three-year prison sentence for Sheikh Rashid Ghannouchi, the leader of the Ennahda movement.
The verdict reaffirms the initial judgement, sentencing both Ghannouchi and his son-in-law, former Foreign Minister Rafik Abdel Salam, to three years in prison each. Abdel Salam is currently abroad. This case, commonly referred to as the “lobbying case,” centres on allegations of foreign funding.
Habib Tarkhani, spokesperson for the Court of Appeal in the capital, confirmed that the imprisonment relates to foreign financing issues. Additionally, both Ghannouchi and his son-in-law face fines exceeding $1 million, allegedly representing the foreign funds received by the Ennahda president.
In a related development, the team investigating terrorism cases at the Tunisian Court of Appeal has decided to refer 12 defendants, including prominent Ennahda leaders, to the judiciary on terrorism-related charges.
Among those referred to the Court of First Instance’s department for terrorism cases are Ennahda’s Vice-President Munther Al-Wanissi (currently detained), Rafik Abdel Salam, Sheherazade Okasha, Ahmed Qaloul, Tariq Bou Bahri, Reda Idris, Moaz Al-Khereiji, Maher Zaid, Muhammad Fathi Al-Ayadi, and Muhammad Al-Samiti, with the latter group also being abroad. Two other unnamed defendants are included in what the media has dubbed the “conspiracy against state security” case.
Last April marked a full year since Ghannouchi’s detention, amidst ongoing calls from a popular trade union movement for his release and that of the other detainees.