Tunisia detains lawmaker over suspected corruption charges

Tunisian Minister of Civil Society and Human Rights Mehdi Ben Gharbia arrives for the first cabinet meeting on 31 August 2016 at the Carthage Palace near Tunis. [FETHI BELAID/AFP via Getty Images]

A Tunisian court on Sunday ordered the detainment of lawmaker and former minister, Mehdi Ben Gharbia, on suspicion of tax fraud and money laundering charges.

Ben Gharbia is the fourth parliamentarian to be taken into custody since President Kais Saied suspended Parliament and removed immunity from its members.

The liaison office of the Court of First Instance in the capital, Tunis, disclosed in a statement that the Central Division for Combating Economic and Financial Crimes had been assigned to investigate the case.

Ben Gharbia is an independent lawmaker and a former minister in charge of relations with the constitutional bodies in the government of Youssef Chahed (2016-2020).

It was not possible to obtain comment from Ben Gharbia’s lawyer.

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