A court in Tunisia has sentenced exiled former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and his wife to 35 years each in jail.

Ben Ali was fined 25 million euros ($36 million), while his spouse Leila Trabelsi was ordered to pay a 20.5-million-euro sum after both were found guilty of embezzlement on Monday.

The pair, who have been living in Saudi Arabia since Ben Ali was forced from power in January, were sentenced in absentia.

"The court has ruled the facts against Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and Leila Trabelsi have been established," Judge Touhami Hafi said as he read out the verdict.

Proceedings were brought against the pair after the discovery of large sums of money and jewelry in their palace outside the capital, Tunis.

Akram Azoury, Ben Ali's attorney, labeled the sentence "a joke," adding that he would recommend that Ben Ali leave Saudi Arabia to seek refuge in the European Union to avoid an extradition request.

'Duped into leaving'

Earlier Monday, the former leader denied the charges in a statement, claiming that he had been tricked into leaving the country following a popular uprising.

"I did not abandon my post as president nor did I flee Tunisia, as some media have falsely reported. I was duped into leaving Tunis," said Ben Ali.

A verdict on a second case was postponed until June 30 to give Ben Ali's legal team more time to prepare the defense.

That case, relating to weapons and drugs that were allegedly found in a presidential residence in Carthage, targets Ben Ali alone.

Start of wider process

The hearing on Monday marked the beginning of a process that may see numerous former members of the former regime in the dock. Among the 93 charges against Ben Ali and his inner circle are murder, torture, money laundering and the trafficking of archeological artifacts.

Convictions for murder or torture carry a death sentence, although it is not expected that Ben Ali will face these charges.

Former Interior Minister Rafik Belhaj Kacem may be implicated in cases linked to 300 civilian deaths during the protests, according to Tunisia's military justice system chief, Colonel Major Marwane Bouguerra.

Author: Richard Connor (AFP, Reuters)
Editor: Martin Kuebler