Former Tunisian Prime Minister Jebali Released After 7-Hour Interrogation

Former Tunisian Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali was released on Tuesday after a seven-hour interrogation at the prosecutor’s office. Jebali was questioned by the judicial unit focusing on financial corruption, regarding his past appointments, policy decisions, and a case with economic ramifications. His defense lawyer, Mukhtar al-Jamai, said the investigation will continue.

Earlier in the day, Tunisian security forces in civilian clothes raided Jebali’s home and took him into custody, according to his wife, Wahida Trabelsi. Jebali, a member of the opposition Ennahda Movement, led the government from December 2011 to February 2013 and was a candidate in the 2019 presidential elections. Last year, Jebali and his wife were briefly arrested on charges of “possession of dangerous materials” but were released after human rights groups intervened.

Tunisia has been mired in a political crisis since President Kais Saied dissolved the government and parliament in 2021. Saied claims his actions were to “save” Tunisia but critics accuse him of leading a coup.