The court postpones the Carthage land case and keeps journalist Zied el-Heni in custody
On Monday, November 9, 2026, the relevant judicial district postponed the consideration of what is known as the Carthage Land case to a hearing on December 18, 2026. The judicial authorities decided to keep journalist Zied el-Heni in custody, concurrently with approving requests for the release of the other suspects on the same file.
The judge had on Friday 6 November 2026 approved the provisional release demands made in favour of the other detainees, while he rejected the release request of Hani. The case involves a property file and an earlier sale in the vicinity of Carthage Palace that includes the local municipality, which issued five prison deposit cards during June 2026.
The journalist's daughter, Ethar Al-Hani, said the decision was unjustified, considering that her father's prosecution was of a political nature and aimed at damaging his reputation by linking him to corruption charges. She added that her father was commissioned by the Culture Committee within the private prosecution of the municipality of Carthage, without having any responsibility for managing municipal real estate or finance affairs.
The defence team had stabbed the foundations of the follow-up, asserting that the municipal decisions on the case were only a confirmation of previous procedures that had been approved by supervisory authority in past periods.
The Criminal Chamber of the Tunisian Primary Court had responded in late October 2026 to requests for the release of former Carthage Municipality Secretary-General and former municipal councillor Abdul Latif Zerli after months of detention.
The facts of the case relate to the indictment of 5 accused in the Tunisian Court of Appeal on the criminal chamber, including journalist Zied el-Heni, former head of the private prosecution of Carthage Municipality Az-Din Bash Shaush and his former deputy Mohammed Ali al-Hamami for handling properties belonging to the municipality.
