Halima Ben Ali Arrested in Paris Ahead of Tunisian Extradition Request
Paris – Halima Ben Ali, daughter of former Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, was arrested at Charles de Gaulle Airport as she prepared to board a flight to Dubai.
She is scheduled to appear at the Paris prosecutor’s office on Wednesday, where authorities will formally notify her of Tunisia’s request for a provisional arrest. Following this, she could be placed under extradition detention or judicial supervision, officials said.
The exact reasons behind Tunisia’s request have not been publicly disclosed. However, her lawyer, Samia Maktouf, told AFP that Halima Ben Ali is subject to an Interpol red notice issued by Tunisian authorities on charges of embezzlement.
Maktouf added that her client had previously been arrested in Italy in 2018 at Tunisia’s request but was subsequently released. “My client is the victim of a witch hunt launched by Tunisia,” she said.
Halima’s father, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, was the first leader to be ousted during the Arab Spring uprisings. He ruled Tunisia from 1987 until 2011, maintaining a tight grip on power while facing criticism for suppressing political opposition. Ben Ali fled to Saudi Arabia amid mass protests and passed away in exile in 2019 at the age of 83.
During his rule, Ben Ali was sentenced multiple times to life imprisonment, including for his violent crackdown on protesters during the final weeks of his regime.
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