Tunisian Media Mogul Who's Seeking the Presidency Is Arrested
Tunisian Media Mogul Seeking Presidency Is Arrested, Party Says
(Bloomberg) -- A Tunisian media mogul who’s running for the presidency in next month’s elections was detained Friday, after authorities ordered his arrest for alleged tax evasion and money laundering.
Nabil Karoui, the owner of Nessma TV, was stopped by security services while traveling outside the capital and is currently in prison in Tunis, the Interior Ministry said in a statement. The state news agency TAP reported that arrest warrants had been issued for the 56-year-old and one of his brothers.
Heart of Tunisia, Karoui’s party, accused authorities of using tactics “reminiscent of the worst authoritarian regimes” and targeting its candidate because of his popularity. It called on supporters of democracy to “take action to stop this ruling gang.”
Karoui, who’s built a reputation as a so-called champion of the poor with his TV shows, is among about two dozen would-be candidates, including former government ministers and a moderate Islamist, with preliminary approval to run in the Sept. 15 vote. The North African nation that was the birthplace of the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings is struggling to revive its economy.
Earlier this year, Karoui was charged with money laundering in a case dating to 2016, and was banned from traveling and had his assets frozen. The court that issued Friday’s warrants rejected appeals to lift those embargoes, TAP reported.
A poll published June in Le Maghreb newspaper showed Karoui’s then-unnamed party could win more votes than any of Tunisia’s established political forces.
That same month, parliament backed an amendment to election laws that would disqualify swathes of candidates, including charity workers -- a step that might have blocked Karoui’s bid. President Beji Caid Essebsi died in late July before he could sign the move into law.
--With assistance from Souhail Karam.
To contact the reporter on this story: Jihen Laghmari in Tunis at jlaghmari@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Alaa Shahine at asalha@bloomberg.net, Michael Gunn, Hari Govind
©2019 Bloomberg L.P.