Son-in-law of Tunisia’s Ben Ali arrested on suspicion of sexual harassment 

Late Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali’s son-in-law was arrested yesterday by police on suspicion of sexual harassment after a complaint was filed by a well-known female journalist, according to Al-Arabiya.

Arbia Ben Hammadi confirmed the arrest on her Facebook page saying: “We succeeded today in overthrowing those who believed that we are in a slave market that can be bought and sold.”

In a video posted online, Hammadi alleged that she was contacted by Slim Chiboub – though she did not name him in her post – over Whatsapp to enquire why she was currently out of work. She replied this was down to personal choice, to which he called again offering a job at a TV channel, which she refused. She added that she did not know Chiboub prior to this.

Chiboub is said to have made several more attempts to contact the journalist before she gave her phone to her husband, a lawyer who submitted the complaint with the police and public prosecution.

“It was messages and telephone communications. I have all the evidence and I submitted it to the public prosecutor who handled the case,” said Hammadi.

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Chiboub, a businessman and former president of football club Esperance Sportif de Tunis (EST), has already been involved in a string of corruption cases. He fled the country to the UAE in 2014 when he returned to Tunisia to challenge the charges made against him in absentia. He was subsequently arrested and detained until being released in January 2016. Late last year it was reported that he still owes the state approximately 307 million dinars ($106 million at the current rate).

Previous charges include money laundering and wasting public funds during the presidency of Ben Ali with the complicity of state agencies. Ben Ali, who died last year in Saudi, was ousted in 2011 after mass popular protests in what became the Jasmine Revolution, triggered by the self-immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi, which started the so-called Arab Spring in the wider region.

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