TUNIS // Almost two dozen allies of the ousted Tunisian leader Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and his wife, Leila Trabelsi, appeared before a Tunis court yesterday for trying to flee the country in January in illegal possession of foreign currency.
They include Ali Seriati, Ben Ali's former security chief, and Imed Trabelsi, Trabelsi's nephew and one of the most reviled men from the former ruling clan.
Mr Seriati headed Ben Ali's feared presidential guard which supervised all other security agencies.
A total of 35 people are facing charges but only the 23 Ben Ali associates arrested in January appeared before the court yesterday.
Fourteen men, in handcuffs, and nine women, wearing white full-length robes, entered the tiny courtroom which was packed with journalists and lawyers.
The 23 were arrested and found to be in possession of a large sum in foreign currency as they tried to flee the country on January 14, the day Ben Ali and his wife fled into exile in Saudi Arabia after a weeks-long popular revolt.
Mr Seriati, who is suspected of having planned a series of attacks aimed at fanning nationwide chaos, told the court that fake passports were made at the presidential palace specifically for Ben Ali's immediate family.
The 23 defendants have all been held at the Aouina military base in Tunis since their arrest.
"You tried to flee the country on January 14 in possession of foreign currency and jewels," the court president, Faouzi Jbelli, said, before reading out the charges.
Mr Trabelsi, wearing a white polo shirt, rejected the charges, denied that he tried to flee the country and said the money in his possession came from "legal activities".
The prosecution said Mr Trabelsi, who was already sentenced to four years in jail in June for drug possession, had 36 watches and five kilograms of jewellery when he was nabbed at the airport.
Another co-defendant, Moncef Trabelsi, was caught with US$2,400 (Dh8,800) and €17,500 (Dh93,000).
Since his escape to Saudi Arabia, Ben Ali has already been twice convicted and sentenced in trials held in his absence.
On July 4, a Tunis court sentenced him to more than 15 years in jail for possession of arms, drugs and archaeological artefacts.
In June, Ben Ali and his wife were sentenced to 35 years in prison and fined €45 million for misappropriating public funds after police found large sums of cash and jewellery in their palace.
MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Ukraine 2 (Yaremchuk 06', Yarmolenko 27')
Portugal 1 (Ronaldo 72' pen)
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David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
FIRST TEST SCORES
England 458
South Africa 361 & 119 (36.4 overs)
England won by 211 runs and lead series 1-0
Player of the match: Moeen Ali (England)
The 10 Questions
- Is there a God?
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Date started: May 2018
Founder: Pir Arkam
Based: Dubai
Sector: Additive manufacturing (aka, 3D printing)
Staff: 18
Funding: Invested, supported and partnered by Joseph Group
Dunbar
Edward St Aubyn
Hogarth
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
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Five famous companies founded by teens
There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:
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- Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
- Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
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- Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
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Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
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About Housecall
Date started: July 2020
Founders: Omar and Humaid Alzaabi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: HealthTech
# of staff: 10
Funding to date: Self-funded
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