TUNIS: The head of a Tunisian opposition group, Lotfi Mraihi, who has announced his intention to move in a national vote set for October, has been arrested by police on suspicion of money laundering.
Mraihi, the president of Republican Union Party, and one of the most popular reviewers of President Kais Saied, was arrested late on Wednesday, lawmakers and regional media said.
A spokesman for the Tunisian jury earlier this month claimed that Mraihi is accused of wealth trafficking and opening bank accounts abroad without obtaining a central bank’s approval.
Opposition events, many of whose officials are imprisoned, are claiming that Saied’s state is pressuring the court to crack down on him in order to secure his second term.
Saeed, the 2019 presidential candidate, has not yet formally declared his nomination for the Oct. 6 vote, but he is reportedly seeking a second term. He claimed last season that he would not grant power to those who he described as non-patriots.
Abir Moussi, the Free Constitutional Party’s head and well-known member, has been imprisoned since last year on suspicion of violating public safety.
Moussi’s group claims that she was imprisoned to keep her from being a front-runner for the vote. The government dispute this.
Other candidates are facing charges for alleged crimes like money laundering and scams, including Safi Saeed, Nizar Chaari, and Abd Ellatif Mekki.
Mondher Znaidi, a notable potential candidate who is living in France, is likewise facing trial on suspicion of monetary problem.
The opposition contends that impartial and trustworthy elections cannot be held unless imprisoned lawmakers are freed and the media is allowed to conduct its duties without being subject to government stress.
Saied seized almost all of his authority in 2021, disbanded legislature, and commenced rule by decree in a shift the opposition called a coup. Said claimed that his actions were needed and legal to put an end to years of widespread corruption within the social elite.
Since last year, important president’s opponents have been detained in a crackdown that included politicians, businesspeople, and members of the media, all on suspicion of conspiring against express security.
