2 charged in Tunis-Carthage Airport Case

The Tunis Court of First Instance, chaired by Justice Faouzi Jebali, issued, on Friday morning, its verdict in the case N° 13110, also known as the  Tunis-Carthage Airport Case, which involves Leila Trabelsi and thirty-one of her relatives and the deposed president's, including the former National Security Chief Ali Seriati. The verdicts range between the dismissal of the charges against Ali Seriati and the prison terms between four months and six years for the other defendants, in addition to fines totaling more 200 million dinars. According to a judicial source, the Public Ministry lodged an appeal against the verdicts. The judge issued the dismissal of charges against Ali Seriati, former Presidential Security Chief, Fakhreddine Lakhoua, Issameddine el Ouaer, Lamia Trabelsi, Leïla Derouich and Abdessalem Chroundi. The custodial sentences issued against the other defendants are as follows: * Leïla Trabelsi: 6 years + fine * Moez Trabelsi: 6 years + fine * Sakhr El Materi: 4 years + fine * Imed Trabelsi: 2 years + fine * Montassar Mehrezi: 2 years + fine * Moncef Mohamed El Mahjoub: 1 and a half year + fine * Moncef Trabelsi: 1 and a half year + fine * Jalila Trabelsi: 1 and a half year + fine * Ahmed Nacef: 1 and a half year + fine * Habib Mzabi: 1 year and 2 months + fine * Najia Jeridia: 8 months + fine * Sofiane Ben Ali: 8 months + fine * Ines El Alami: 6 months + fine * Sadri Tebourbi: 6 months + fine * Mourad Trabelsi: 6 months + fine * Houssem Trabelsi: 6 months + fine * Lilia Nacef: 6 months + fine * Islam Mahjoub: 6 months + fine * Rym Mahjoub: 6 months + fine * Amira Mahjoub: 6 months + fine * Asma Mahjoub: 6 months + fine * Saïd Boujbel: 6 months + fine * Samira Trabelsi: 4 months + fine * Mourad Mehdoui: 4 months + fine * Montassar Jendoubi: 4 months + fine It is worth specifying that all persons under arrest in this case and who number19, in addition to escaped Leila Trabelsi, Moez Trabelsi and Sakhr el Materi who are also accused of customs infringements. As to Ali Seriati and Ines el Amri, they are accused of forging and complicity in forging passports, respectively. After the posting the verdicts, attendees of the hearings raised their voices to express their anger at these judgements which do not respond to what the Tunisian people expected about sanctions against the relatives of Ben Ali and his wife's, more particularly Ali Seriati. It is to be noted that Ali Seriati remains under arrest as he implicated with the deposed president in other cases in the military justice. However, several lawyers present at the hearings considered these decisions as "fair" and "having not taken into account the conditions of the defendants in some cases."