Tunisian Court Hands Businessman and Former MP Ridha Charfeddine a 11‑Year Prison Sentence for Money‑Laundering
The Criminal Chamber specialized in financial‑corruption cases of the First Instance Court of Tunis sentenced, on Thursday, businessman and former deputy Ridha Charfeddine to 11 years in prison for money‑laundering.
In the same case:
- Lotfi Charfeddine, Ridha’s brother, received a 7‑year prison term.
- Ahmed Belli, former president of a sports club, was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
The court also imposed fines exceeding 11 million Tunisian dinars on the defendants and the companies involved.
According to a judicial source cited by the TAP news agency, the accused were found guilty of laundering money by exploiting the advantages of their professional and social activities, using funds derived from customs violations and by creating fictitious legal situations.
Background
Ridha Charfeddine, a prominent businessman and ex‑deputy, has been in detention since 2024 on several investigations concerning alleged financial and administrative corruption.
In November 2023, the Criminal Chamber specialized in financial‑corruption cases of the Tunis Court of Appeal upheld a first‑instance judgment that had sentenced him to three years in prison and imposed fines of roughly 72 million dinars. Those charges related to the creation of overseas assets without authorization from the Central Bank of Tunisia.
Keywords: Tunisian court, money‑laundering, financial corruption, Ridha Charfeddine, prison sentence, customs fraud, Central Bank of Tunisia, TAP news.
