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A Tunisian court has handed down a 10-year prison sentence to Chawki Tabib, the former head of the country’s national anti-corruption authority.
Tabib, a prominent 62-year-old attorney and the former leader of the Tunisian Bar Association, was convicted of forging documents as well as possessing and utilising those falsified records.
According to defence attorney Samir Dilou, the judgement followed an original complaint filed against Tabib in relation to his time leading the National Anti-Corruption Authority from 2016 to 2020.
The legal battle stems from a report issued by the anti-graft body during Tabib’s tenure, which accused then-Prime Minister Elyes Fakhfakh of a conflict of interest.
Fakhfakh reacted by removing Tabib from his position, a dismissal that Tabib openly denounced at the time as an unconstitutional abuse of official power.
The entire anti-graft agency was subsequently dissolved in 2021 as part of a broad consolidation of executive authority by President Kais Saied, a transition that international human rights organisations argue triggered a severe decline in civil liberties across Tunisia.
Tabib’s defence team links his recent prosecution to his ongoing work representing several of President Saied’s political opponents in court.
Following his initial arrest last April, the former anti-corruption head continues to look at a variety of additional pending judicial matters.
Tunisian prosecutors are currently pursuing separate cases against him, which include allegations of money laundering and other administrative violations during his leadership of the now-defunct oversight body.
