Tunisia issues arrest warrant against head of Ennahda Shura Council

The investigating judge at Tunisia’s Financial Judicial Pole issued an order to imprison the Chairman of the Shura Council of the Ennahda Movement and the former Minister of Transport, Abdel Karim Al-Harouni.

An arrest warrant was also issued against the General Manager of the Tunisian Company for Petroleum Activities, Moncef Matoussi, who was dismissed from his position by President Kais Saied a few days ago.

Lawyer Mounia Bouali also confirmed to Arabi21 that a suspension order had been issued against Habib Mallouh, the central director of fuel exploitation and distribution at the National Petroleum Distribution Company Ajeel.

Defence lawyer Saber Al-Obaidi told Arabi21 that the investigating judge ordered Al-Harouni’s detention after interrogating him for hours yesterday.

Al-Harouni was investigated in connection with the appointments case while he served as Minister of Transport in the government of Hamadi Al-Jabali and Ali Laarayedh.

Al-Harouni is a prominent leader in the Ennahda movement and has held the position in its Shura Council since July 2016.

Under Saied’s leadership Tunisia has imprisoned a number of senior Ennahda officials, including the leader Rached Ghannouchi.

On 17 April, Ennahda announced that a security squad stormed Ghannouchi’s home, and took him to an unknown destination. He was then interrogated without his lawyer president.

Later, the security forces stormed Ennahda’s headquarters following a press conference by the party regarding the arrest of Ghannouchi. The forces closed the headquarters and banned meetings from taking place there in the future.

READ: Tunisia detains former Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali