The legal twists surrounding former presidential candidate Nabil Karoui and his brother, businessman Ghazi Karoui, continue. The criminal chamber specializing in financial corruption cases at the Tunis Court of First Instance has just marked a new stage in this case of financial and administrative corruption, by deciding yesterday, Monday, to postpone their trial.
Postponement of the hearing
The Criminal Chamber specializing in financial corruption cases, reporting to the Court of First Instance of Tunis, ruled on the Karoui brothers’ case. The trial, which has attracted the attention of the media and public opinion for several years, has now been postponed to a hearing scheduled for next December.
It should be noted that the two main accused, Nabil Karoui and Ghazi Karoui, are currently being prosecuted while on the run, a status which makes the proceedings more complex but does not stop the action of the justice system.
Asset freeze maintained and deposit mandates
This postponement decision comes shortly after significant motions from the Financial Judicial Center. The Indictment Chamber of this instance has, in fact, recently taken firm measures which reaffirm the seriousness of the charges:
- Rejection of the asset freeze: the requests for lifting the asset freeze made by the defenses of Nabil and Ghazi Karoui were rejected. This decision maintains their property and assets under sequestration.
- Issuance of committal warrants: the Indictment Chamber also confirmed the issue of committal warrants against them, before referring them to the Specialized Criminal Chamber.
These developments follow a historic complaint filed by the anti-corruption association I Watch. The association has initiated proceedings on serious charges, including tax evasion and money laundering.
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