Tunisia minister accused of murdering lady to silence her

The Court of Appeal in Tunisia has brought charges against a former minister accusing him of murdering a young woman three years ago.

Lawyer Samira Al-Dali said that former minister, Mehdi Ben Gharbia, was officially charged with the murder of Rahma Lahmar, while his lawyer, Walid Al-Arfawi, stressed the charges do not mean his client has been convicted.

Rahma Lahmar who was attacked on her way home in the suburbs of Tunis, raped and later died of suffocation with her body being found in September 2020

Al-Arfawi added that the department investigating the crime had new evidence that had not been discovered during previous investigations.

Meanwhile, Shihab Lahmar, the victim’s father, revealed that he had received financial offers to close his daughter’s file. He added that those who bargained with him were linked to a company owned by Ben Gharbia.

He stressed that his daughter was targeted because she had seen dangerous files. “I am sure,” he added, “that important figures were involved in her murder, especially after I discovered that the lawyer I appointed sought to close the file, and he deceived me.”

Rahma was attacked on her way home in the suburbs of Tunis, raped and later died of suffocation, her possessions had been stolen; her corpse was mutilated after her death. Her body was found in September 2020.

A man was arrested two days after the discovery of her body after he tried to use her phone.

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