The Misdemeanor Court of the Judicial Complex specialized in economic and financial crimes in Tunisia ruled to imprison both the leader of the Ennahda movement, Rached Ghannouchi, and the movement’s leader, Rafik Abdel Salam, for 3 years in what is known as the case of foreign financing of the movement.

The Tunisian Court of First Instance spokesman said that the court also ruled to fine the two defendants a sum of money equal to the value of the foreign funding the movement received, according to him.

It is noteworthy that Ghannouchi is being prosecuted in a number of cases, some of which have resulted in prison sentences, and others are still under investigation.

Ghannouchi had announced months ago a boycott of investigation sessions and trials at all stages, considering that these prosecutions are political and malicious, and do not meet the conditions for a fair trial, as he described.

Ghannouchi is being tried in approximately 9 cases, according to his defense, and the police arrested him after raiding his house on April 17, 2023 on suspicion of conspiring against state security.

After his arrest, the Court of First Instance in the capital, Tunis, ordered that he be imprisoned in the case of statements attributed to him inciting against state security.

Ghannouchi is one of the most prominent leaders of the opposition Salvation Front, which rejects the exceptional measures that President Kais Saied began imposing on July 25, 2021, most notably the dissolution of the Judicial Council and Parliament, the issuance of legislation by presidential orders, the approval of a new constitution through a referendum, and the holding of early legislative elections that were boycotted by the opposition. .