Tunisian ex-President’s son-in-law to advocate for his acquittal

Exiled son-in-law of deposed Tunisian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali returned to the capital Tunis on Tuesday to challenge a jail sentence for possessing an illegal weapon.

Businessman Slim Chiboub, who has been in exile in the UAE since the overthrow of Ben Ali in January 2011, arrived in Tunis on a flight from Abu Dhabi after declaring his intention to return to his home country last week.

Chiboub’s lawyer, Wassem Saidi told AFP that his client arrived at Enfidha airport south of Tunis on Tuesday morning before going “straight to the court in Tunis to challenge the ruling.”

The former president of one of Tunisia’s most popular football clubs, Esperance, Chiboub had been sentenced in absentia to five years on two counts of illegally importing and possessing a firearm.

However, conflicting reports have emerged, suggesting Chiboub was arrested on arrival and transferred to Tunis, where he would argue against the verdict in front of the Court of First Instance.

During an interview with Jeune Afrique, Chiboub acknowledged that he remained on Interpol’s red notice, a level close to an international arrest warrant.

“I have total confidence in my country’s justice [system] so I’m not worried,” said Ben Ali’s son-in-law.

“I have accounts to be settled with the courts – yes - not with Tunisians because I never had a political position,” Chiboub told Jeune Afrique.

Chiboub’s arrival in Tunisia follows Tunisia’s legislative elections in October, when Nidaa Tounes topped the polls. Though the party did not gain an outright majority, it is in the process of building a governing coalition.

The party plays host to a number of figures from the old regime, including its leader, Beji Caid Essebsi, 87, president of the Chamber of Deputies during the early years of Ben Ali’s authoritarian rule.

Essebsi is one of the favourites to win Tunisia’s upcoming presidential elections, scheduled to take place on 23 November.

When asked about contact with judicial authorities ahead of his return, Chiboub denied any pre-arranged agreements.

In an attempt to put distance between himself and the old regime, Chiboub told Jeune Afrique that he had only spoken to Ben Ali once since 2002, on the occasion of his ousting.