Refusal to Attend His Corruption Trial… The Leader of Tunisia’s Muslim Brotherhood Evades Justice

The Tunisian judiciary has decided to postpone the trial of Rached Ghannouchi, head of the Islamist Ennahdha Movement, who faces charges of financial corruption and money laundering, until next December.

The criminal chamber specializing in financial corruption cases at the Tunis Court of First Instance decided to defer Ghannouchi’s trial to December after he refused to appear before the court.

Since his arrest in April 2023, Rached Ghannouchi has consistently refused to appear before the judiciary to be questioned in any of the cases in which he faces charges of corruption and terrorism.

Observers of Tunisia’s political scene believe that Ghannouchi is attempting to evade justice and manipulate public opinion by avoiding court appearances.

On April 17, 2023, Tunisian authorities arrested Rached Ghannouchi on charges of “conspiring against state security, intentionally attempting to alter the structure of the state, inciting citizens to armed conflict, disturbing public order, murder, and looting.”

Ghannouchi faces several charges, including conspiracy against state security, espionage, terrorism, and financial corruption.

The sentences handed down against him so far in all the cases in which he has been convicted amount to a total of 37 years in prison: 14 years in the so-called “State Security Conspiracy 2” case, 22 years in the espionage case known as “Instalingo,” and one year for glorifying terrorism.