Sunday, February 13, 2011

Tunisia: Olivier Metzner is the defense of Imed Trabelsi

For the second time since his arrest, Imed Trabelsi is convened Monday, February 14 in the office of a judge of the Court of First Instance in Tunis. The French lawyer Olivier Metzner, in association with a business lawyer of Mauritanian origin, Jemal Ould Mohamed, should arrive the day for the defense of the former mayor of the port of La Goulette, and that of its manager Businessman Abdullah Harrabi.

I was recently Metzner council Françoise Bettencourt Meyers, the daughter of Liliane Bettencourt, Dominique de Villepin in the Clearstream affair and Jerome Kerviel, a former trader at Societe Generale. Imed Trabelsi, nephew "preferred" Leila Trabelsi's wife, the former head of the Tunisian government overthrown, Zine El-Ali AbidineBen must answer several charges relating to the acquisition of movable and immovable and the detention, placement and transfer of currency abroad.

On remand, the military base Aouina in Tunis, he is pursued by the Tunisian justice as thirty-six other members of the former presidential clan, including Mr. Ben Ali himself. Twenty-seven of these people, according to a list sent in early February by the Tunisian Ministry of Justice, are currently in custody in Tunis: the elder sister of Leila Trabelsi, Trabelsi Jalil, Mohamed Mahjoub her husband and their children , Islam and Amira Mahjoub, Moncef Trabelsi, the elder brother of Leila, but Sofiane Ben Ali, nephew of former president, are among those who were arrested, most at the airport while trying to leave the country.

Others have succeeded. Eleven family members Trabelsi Ben Ali today are sought and considered fugitives. Included in this list the former head of state himself and his wife, who are now in Saudi Arabia; Belhassen Trabelsi and his family as refugees in Canada; Sakhr Al-Materi, son of the presidential couple, and family Hayet Ben Ali Ben Ali Tijani (respectively sister and brother of the president) and other relatives still ...

Interpol has also issued an international arrest warrant against former president, his wife and six members of his family. He was asked "to member countries (...) to search and locate Mr. Ben Ali and his family, and make their provisional arrest for extradition to Tunis," said Interpol January 26.

A first group of 25 people wanted for currency transfer "without notice of the central bank", while another group of eight - sometimes the same - is covered by the charge of "acquisition of movable and immovable property and illicit financial investments abroad, detention and transfer of foreign currency illegally.

In this particular lot is the former president and his wife. A third group of 9 people, finally, is charged with "introduction port, possession and sale of arms and ammunition on the Tunisian territory," short for arms trafficking. The heaviest burdens seem to weigh on Belhassen Trabelsi, brother of Leila Trabelsi.

The former CEO of Karthago combines both the charges of the second and third groups. Sahkr El-Materi, Mourad Trabelsi, Hayet Ben Ali, Mehdi Ben Ali Tijani Ben Ali, and Imed Mhedi Eltaief themselves are specially affected by trafficking in weapons. It is yet another category of persons prosecuted by the Tunisian justice, related to the person of Mr.

Ben Ali, but without family ties. This is Seriate Ali, the former head of the presidential guard, was arrested Jan. 14 in Tunis just after the flight by plane from the former president. With five others who all belong to the Presidential Security, Mr. seriation is accused of "conspiring against national security" incentive "disorder, murder and pillage." Charge punishable, in theory, the death penalty.

Isabelle Mandraud

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