By Enyichukwu Enemanna
A senior official of Ennahda, Tunisia’s main opposition party, has been handed 15 years in prison over charges bordering on money laundering, his lawyer said on Friday.
Sahbi Atig, detained in 2023, is one of many opponents of President Kais Saied to have been imprisoned since the administration in 2021 launched moves to expand its powers, dissolving parliament and ruling by decree, an action critics have described as a coup.
Atig denied the charges against him, saying they were fabricated.
“The verdict aims to eliminate political opponents and lacks any credible evidence,” Atig’s lawyer, Mokthar Jmaayi, was quoted as telling newsmen.
“It is a continuation of the punishment of opponents by using the judiciary and distracting people from their real problems,” he added.
The 15-year sentence was shorter than some sentences handed down recently.
In April, a court sentenced a string of opposition leaders, businessmen and lawyers to prison terms of up to 66 years, on charges of conspiracy.
Prominent opposition leaders in the country have been jailed, including Abir Moussi, leader of the Free Constitutional Party, and Rached Ghannouchi, the head of Ennahda, two of Saied’s most prominent opponents.
Saied has denied any wrongdoing, saying his moves are aimed at ending years of rampant corruption and holding accountable what he calls a corrupt elite.
He claims he does not interfere in the judiciary and that his actions aim to purge the judiciary of corrupt judges.
In 2022, Saied had dissolved the Supreme Judicial Council and dismissed dozens of judges, raising concerns about the independence of the judiciary.
