TUNIS — The leader of
Tunisia’s Islamist-inspired opposition
party Ennahdha arrived Tuesday for questioning by an investigating judge at an
anti-terror center, just days before a hotly contested constitutional
referendum.
اضافة اعلان
More than 20 security vans were stationed in
front of the headquarters of the anti-terror center where about 200 Ennahdha
activists were gathered in support of their leader Rached Ghannouchi, AFP
correspondents said.
Supporters chanted Ghannouchi’s name as he
entered the building, making a V-sign with their fingers for victory and waving
placards.
“Stop political trials”, one read, written in
both English and Arabic.
Ghannouchi, 81, has been under investigation
since June amid allegations of corruption and money laundering linked to
transfers from abroad to the charity Namaa Tunisia, affiliated with Ennahdha.
As part of the same investigation, Tunisian
authorities last month arrested former prime minister and one-time Ennahdha
leader
Hamadi Jebali for alleged money laundering.
Jebali was later released, but is due to face
questioning on the allegations on Wednesday.
Earlier this month, a court ordered the
freezing of the bank accounts of Ghannouchi and a dozen members of his family
and his party — including Jebali — as part of this investigation.
In June, Ghannouchi was also handed a ban from
traveling abroad as part of a separate investigation into high-profile
political assassinations that rocked the country in 2013.
Ennahdha and Ghannouchi deny all charges
against them.
Tunisia’s long-running political crisis took a
dramatic turn last July when President
Kais Saied sacked the government, froze
the Ennahdha-dominated parliament headed by Ghannouchi, and seized far-reaching
powers.
Saied has put forward a draft constitution set
for referendum on July 25, the anniversary of his power grab.
Opponents accuse him of waging political vendettas and
dragging the country back to dictatorship, over a decade since its pro-democracy
revolt sparked the Arab Spring uprisings.
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