A judge on Friday jailed Nessel Karoui, owner of Nessma TV, a critic of the government and one of the leading candidates for next month's presidential election, on charges of money laundering and tax evasion, local radio Mosaique said.
Nessma TV said the villager was arrested on his way back to Tunis.
Prior to the arrest of Karoui, the Tunisian Higher Independent Commission for Audiovisual Communication (BAHRA) banned three local media outlets, including Nessma's private channel, founded by presidential candidate Nabil Karoui, from covering election campaigns.
In addition to Nessma TV, the decision includes Al-Zaytuna TV and Al-Quran Radio, which are affiliated with Ennahda.
The Chairman of the Commission Nuri al-Lajmi, Friday, that «was taken joint decision between the Higher Independent Commission for Audiovisual Communication and the Higher Independent Commission for Elections».