Tunisia: Arrest of the villager in application of the law or the exclusion of a stubborn competitor?

Amal Hilali - Tunisia

The arrest of Presidential candidate Nabil Karoui by the security services in Tunisia did not pass without causing widespread public and political debate about the motives and timing of the decision, less than a month before the date of the presidential elections.

The Ministry of Interior confirmed on Friday evening the suspension of the head of the party "heart of Tunisia" and presidential candidate Nabil Karawi, and imprisonment in implementation of an arrest warrant issued against him from one of the judicial departments.

The General Agency of the Court of Appeal of Tunisia explained that the decision to issue an arrest warrant for both Karoui and his brother Ghazi Karoui comes within the framework of the application of article 117 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which expressly states that "the indictment chamber may always issue a deposit card against the suspects (arrest warrant for the accused). ). "

The arrest of the villager and his brother comes against the backdrop of a complaint filed by the supervisory organization I WAKEZ since 2016 on charges of tax evasion, while the judicial and financial pole of the presidential candidate was charged with "money laundering and fraud", after which his property was frozen and prevented from traveling on July 8. 2019.

Victory to eliminate
In his interview with Al Jazeera Net, Ashraf Awadi, an independent supervisory association against corruption, described the decision to stop Nabil Karoui by winning the Tunisian judiciary, the state of law and institutions.

Al-Awadi called for the need to separate the electoral and judicial tracks, stressing the importance of justice taking its course and holding the outlaws accountable regardless of the timing or political stations witnessed in the country.

The head of the organization I am awakening that the suspension of Nabil Karawi will not affect the course of democratic transition in the country, nor the elections as the man is still covered by this benefit, even if in prison, as long as not sentenced to a final judicial ruling.

On the other hand, Al-Awadi demanded the judiciary not to double standards, and to prove his independence by taking the rest of the cases filed by the organization "I am awake" against other presidential candidates hovering on charges of financial corruption and abuse of influence, including the two candidates, Youssef Chahed and Salim Riahi.

The head of the Independent High Electoral Commission, Nabil Buffon, told local media that the villager "will remain on the list of candidates as long as no final verdict denying him the right to run."

Localization of the judiciary
The village party "Heart of Tunisia" was quick to issue a strong statement against what he described as the "ruling gang" in which he condemned what he said "a series of fascist practices" against his president, calling on the democratic parties to act in support of democracy and human rights.

He accused the leader of the "heart of Tunisia," Iyad Lome in a statement to the island Net Youssef witness witnessed the exploitation of state institutions and institutions and the adaptation of the judiciary to remove the fiercest rivals in the presidential elections.

With regard to the issuance of judicial rulings against the villager, Lome considered that the candidate is not above the law and has more than once adhered to the decisions of the financial pole, expressing fears of the absence of fair trial conditions for the head of his party.

Loumi denied the issuance of final judicial rulings requiring the suspension of a political party candidate in a manner described as "crude and degrading", stressing that the issuance of an "arbitrary" imprisonment from the indictment in conjunction with the judicial recess and a month before the presidential elections question the integrity of the judiciary.

He stressed that the party is continuing its presidential and legislative campaign, despite the decision to stop its president and put him in prison, and that this incident will increase the popularity of Karoui and his chances of winning the presidential elections.

Parties condemn and warn
Tunisian parties were quick to announce their positions on the arrest of Karoui and the implications for the electoral process.

The party called "Afaq Tunis" judicial authorities to clarify the details of the arrest of Karoui, expressing fears of "the possibility of the government use of state agencies to exclude political rivals."

The party called on the prime minister to speed up decisions on other issues of national security and not to adopt a selective policy "according to loyalty, interests and party alliances."

In the same context, the Popular Front issued a statement calling for "the need to neutralize the judiciary and state institutions, and not to involve them in electoral conflicts and settling political and party accounts and between the lobbies of corruption."

She warned against the consequences of employing the judiciary, security services and the means of the state to liquidate political opponents on the grounds of combating corruption, and the repercussions of these practices on the electoral process and the political climate in the country.

Ennahdha renewed its keenness on the independence of the judiciary and "distancing it from political rivalry and any suspicion of employment that undermines its credibility and independence."

In a statement, the movement called on the concerned authorities to provide the necessary clarifications to illuminate the public opinion about the justifications for the action taken against Nabil Al-Qarawi and his backgrounds, condemning its involvement in the case from parties with a view to "cheap investment".

On the other hand, the party "Long live Tunisia" expressed surprise at the inclusion of presidential candidate Youssef Chahed in the case of the arrest of the villager, denouncing in a statement to use the incident in some media platforms to distort the party and its president.

The party condemned the campaign to question the independence of the judiciary and try to blackmail it and influence its decisions, expressing its "adherence to the principle of equality of citizens before the law without exception or discrimination and their right to litigation as guaranteed by the Constitution."