Tunis Court of Appeal Hands Down Heavy Prison Sentences in Financial‑Corruption Case Involving Expired Pesticides
The specialised criminal chamber for financial‑corruption cases of the Tunis Court of Appeal delivered its verdict on Thursday, imposing prison terms ranging from 8 years 6 months to 9 years 6 months on several businessmen linked to the sale of expired pesticides, a judicial source told the TAP news agency.
Key elements of the judgment
- Total fines exceed TND 1.3 billion (over 1.3 billion Tunisian dinars).
- All companies owned by the defendants have been confiscated.
- Each convicted person is barred from any commercial activity for five years after completing their prison term.
Specific sentences
| Defendant | Prison term |
|---|---|
| Tawfiq Khouili and Badr Eddine Baza | 9 years 6 months |
| Seif Allah Ben Tawfiq Khouili and Sharaf Eddine Jreidi | 8 years 6 months |
All businesses belonging to Tawfiq Khouili have been seized.
Crimes for which the defendants were found guilty
- Formation of a criminal network aimed at planning and executing property‑damage offenses.
- Money‑laundering by exploiting privileges tied to their professional and social activities.
- Issuing false certificates and deceiving consumers by delivering products that were diverted through fraudulent means.
Judicial commentary
The source emphasized that the penalties were significantly increased compared with the first‑instance judgment, reflecting the seriousness of the offenses and their impact on public health and national food safety.
- In the original trial, the range of possible outcomes spanned from dismissal to three years of imprisonment for the accused.
Keywords: Tunis Court of Appeal, financial corruption, expired pesticides, prison sentences, corporate confiscation, money laundering, consumer fraud, public health, food safety, Tunisia.
