A Tunisian public prosecutor issued an arrest order on Tuesday for one of the country’s wealthiest business magnates, Marouan Mabrouk, who is also the son-in-law of former president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. He is under suspicion of embezzling funds from state-owned enterprises, as reported by a judicial official to media
Mabrouk has not faced formal charges yet. The exact amount of money suspected to have been embezzled by Mabrouk and the specific companies involved remain unclear.
.Following the 2011 revolution that led to the downfall of the former president’s autocratic regime, the government assumed control of these companies as part of the process of confiscating assets belonging to the ex-president’s family.
The complaint against Mabrouk was filed by the public prosecutor responsible for state disputes, as stated by Mohamed Zaitouna, the spokesperson for the Tunis court.
Mabrouk is a member of a prominent family with investments spanning trade, banking, telecommunications, and automobile dealerships. Additionally, he oversees a significant supermarket chain and holds stakes in BIAT Bank, French telecom company Orange, and a biscuit company.
Mabrouk is among the few of Ben Ali’s relatives who did not leave Tunisia following the events of 2011. Nevertheless, he has been subject to scrutiny regarding allegations of receiving support and protection from successive governments after 2011.
In 2021, President Kais Saied assumed control of the government, dissolved the parliament, and established a committee to collect funds from business owners embroiled in financial corruption cases. This initiative aimed to alleviate Tunisia’s budget deficit, although it was characterized by the opposition as a coup.
The president emphasized that these business owners were obligated to make payments, and the state would not forgo the amounts owed to it.
