The Tunisian High Court has imposed fines in excess of 11 million dinars
Judgments include 14 commercial companies and the General Coordinator of the PPP, Riyad Ben Fadel, sentenced to 20 years in prison on confiscated property cases.
The Criminal Chamber, which has jurisdiction over financial corruption cases in the Tunisian Primary Court, ordered the imposition of joint financial offences worth more than 11 million dinars in a file related to suspicions of money laundering that accompanied the handling of confiscated property back to the state.
These financial rulings included 14 businesses involved in the case, along with other defendants including the prosecution. The ruling includes a sentence of 20 years in prison for the General Coordinator of the PPP, Riyad Bin Fadl, as well as 28 other defendants for nine years each.
The prosecution relied on charges related to anti-money laundering and money laundering, exploitation of occupational and social characteristics, conspiracy to commit property assault, as well as criminal offences. Investigations revealed unusual financial flows and bank transactions that accompanied the acquisitions and disposals of seized real estate and property.
The facts of this file date back to the arrest of the main accused at Tunisian Carthage Airport on 14 November 2023 before his investigation and referral to court. The court held the first trial hearings in the case on 9 February 2026, with the Criminal Chamber issuing its preliminary verdict in late October 2026 after completing prosecutions and auditing of financial reports.
The next legal step available to the accused and the companies covered by the judgments is to appeal to the competent appellate circuits, with the aim of reconsidering the prison penalties and fines initially imposed.
