Tunisian Court Sentences Nabil and Ghazi Karoui to 14 Years in Prison for Financial Corruption
The specialized criminal chamber for financial‑corruption cases located near the First Instance Court of Tunis delivered a default judgment on Thursday against media magnate Nabil Karoui and his brother Ghazi Karoui.
- Sentence: Both brothers were each sentenced to fourteen years of imprisonment with immediate execution, according to a judicial source cited by the Tunisian Press Agency (TAP).
- Fines: The court imposed fines exceeding 37 million Tunisian dinars on the two defendants, who have been on the run since 2021.
- Asset confiscation:
- All of their frozen bank accounts were transferred to the public treasury.
- Their shareholdings in affiliated companies were seized.
- Twenty land titles registered in their names were confiscated.
Charges
The Karoui brothers were found guilty of money laundering carried out as part of a conspiracy, exploiting the advantages of their professional activities and social status. The court highlighted several aggravating factors:
- Creation of falsified accounting documents to evade taxes.
- Execution of transactions aimed at transferring assets to third parties to avoid paying tax liabilities.
The judgment marks a significant step in Tunisia’s fight against high‑level financial corruption and sends a strong signal to other influential figures involved in similar illicit schemes.
Source: Judicial source quoted by TAP.
