Osama Al-Khelaifi, head of the Qalb Tounes party (which has 28 deputies out of 217) in Parliament, said that the party had no knowledge of the arrest of its leader, Nabil Karoui, in Algeria, while there was no clarification from the Tunisian authorities about the matter and the reason behind it.
Tunisian media said on Sunday that the Algerian judicial authorities had arrested the former candidate for the Tunisian presidential elections, Nabil Karoui, and his brother in the Algerian city of Tebessa, amid calls for official confirmation from the authorities of the two countries.
"We in the party are waiting for official information from the Tunisian state and the Algerian state," party leader Osama Al-Khelaifi said in media statements.
"We have not been in contact with Karoui for a week," he said.
Al-Khelaifi stated that Karoui is being prosecuted, and he is in a state of release by a court ruling, and the travel ban has been lifted from him, and he is not required by the Tunisian judiciary.
He added that the party is waiting for the official position to take a position.
"Today, the country's situation is exceptional, and everyone is prohibited from traveling, except for some exceptions," he added.
And last Sunday, Mosaique FM radio (privately) said, “Algerian border security arrested the head of the Heart of Tunisia party, Nabil Karoui, and his brother, MP Ghazi Karoui, on Sunday afternoon in the Algerian region of Tebessa, in an apartment in the city center owned by the brother of a former member of the Algerian parliament (she did not name him). )".
As of Monday evening, neither Tunisian nor Algerian authorities issued a statement regarding Karoui's arrest.
Al-Khelaifi (right) with Karoui during his 2019 election campaign (Reuters)
stop and achieve
In August 2019, the authorities arrested Karoui on the basis of a complaint against him on charges of financial corruption, then released him after about two months of detention pending the case at the time, and on December 24, a court sentenced him to prison on the same charge, without specifying the period of imprisonment.
For his part, Kasserine Court Spokesman, Riyad Al-Nouwi, confirmed that "the authorities are investigating two people suspected of helping the Karoui brothers escape" to Algeria.
And he indicated that the judiciary had begun an investigation with one of those involved in smuggling the villager - a businessman in the communications and media sector - and his brother, while the search is underway for a second suspect who is still on the run, he said.
Nouiri stated that the first information indicates that the smuggling of Karoui and his brother took place through an area belonging to the delegation of Fossana in the state of Kasserine, adjacent to the Algerian border.
A woman holds a poster of the Qalb Tounes party during the 2019 presidential elections (Reuters)
extraordinary decisions
Nabil Karoui is a businessman, and a former candidate for the Tunisian presidential elections in September 2019, in addition to his leadership of the "Heart of Tunisia" party.
And at the end of last July, Tunisian President Kais Saied announced exceptional decisions to freeze parliament and lift the immunity of deputies.
Since that date, many deputies have been invited to investigate various cases, and some of them have been arrested.
Qalb Tounes and Ennahda, the two parties most represented in parliament, fought a political struggle and sharp differences with President Said before deciding to freeze parliament.