The criminal chamber of the court of first instance of Tunis has decided to postpone the examination of the cases targeting journalists Borhane BĂȘtes and Mourad Zeghidi, prosecuted for charges related to tax evasion. The two cases were put under advisement after the hearing in order to study the requests for release.
Borhane BĂȘtes and Mourad Zeghidi appeared this Monday before the criminal panel of the court, while they are still in detention. The proceedings brought against them relate to suspected violations of tax legislation.
Conciliation steps initiated
During the hearing, Mourad Zeghidi’s lawyers presented documents attesting that their client had initiated conciliation procedures with the tax services under the Ministry of Finance. The defense requested a postponement of the case in order to finalize this procedure, presented as a step towards a definitive settlement of the tax dispute.
Release requests considered
The lawyers of the two journalists also requested the provisional release of Borhane BĂȘtes and Mourad Zeghidi. The criminal chamber decided to rule on these requests after deliberation and to subsequently announce the date of the next hearing.
This decision keeps the two cases pending, while the defense takes the path of tax conciliation to influence the course of the legal proceedings.
