The Tunisian Public Prosecution begins investigating media and political figures on charges of conspiracy and intelligence

Judicial and human rights sources told Al-Jazeera that the Tunisian Public Prosecution authorized the opening of a judicial investigation with 25 people, including media and political figures and former officials, on charges of plotting against internal state security and communicating with foreign parties.

Among those involved in the investigation are the resigned director of the presidential office, Nadia Okacha, and the head of the Afek Tounes party, Fadel Abdel Kafi, according to a leaked document circulated by the Tunisian media.

Other sources told Al-Jazeera that the case is related to illegal financial and administrative facilities that a company specializing in sports betting operating in Tunisia benefited from, which explains the presence of a foreign name among those included in the investigation, according to the sources.

On the other hand, the Tunisian judicial authorities did not officially announce the details of this case and the authenticity of the leaked document.

The resigned director of the presidential office said - in a post on Saturday morning - that "the involvement of my name in issues that I have absolutely nothing to do with is something disgusting and shameful."

And the Secretary-General of the Republican Party, Issam Al-Shabi, wrote - in a post on his Facebook account - "no political group or group, whatever it was, was accused of plotting against the internal and external security of the state."

Political parties in Tunisia had expressed their refusal to subjugate the authority to the judiciary in order to liquidate the opponents of President Qais Saeed and harass them.

On the other hand, the president's supporters believe that he is taking "courageous and decisive steps to reform the judicial system."

It should be noted that Tunisia is experiencing an acute political crisis. The country’s president issued exceptional measures last summer, according to which he took control of the executive authority and suspended the work of parliament, before he dissolved it weeks before, as part of a series of decisions that most of the Tunisian opposition forces described as a coup against the constitution.