Published On 27/11/2025
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Last update: 04:59 (Mecca time)
A first hearing was held in Paris yesterday, Wednesday, regarding the possible extradition of Halima Ben Ali, the youngest daughter of the late Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, to her country. Following this, the French judiciary requested additional information from Tunisia before a hearing that will be held on December 10.
The French Public Prosecutor at the investigation department responsible for extradition cases asked the Tunisian authorities to send additional information.
This matter is of particular importance to ensure that Halima Ben Ali is subjected to a fair trial in Tunisia that is not influenced by political motives.
The request for additional information submitted by the Attorney General to the Tunisian authorities also addresses elements related to the statute of limitations for certain acts attributed to Halima Ben Ali.
The case file presented at the session revealed that the Tunisian authorities are essentially accusing the youngest daughter of the late president – who is now in her thirties – with financial crimes that could be punished by up to 20 years in prison.
These crimes include laundering money collected during her father’s rule, and Halima faces an international arrest warrant issued by Interpol at the request of Tunisia on charges related to embezzlement.
Her lawyer, Samia Maktouf, confirmed that returning her client to Tunisia would be tantamount to a “death sentence.”
The lawyer said when Halima Ben Ali was arrested late last September in Paris at the request of the Tunisian authorities, “My client did not commit any crime or misdemeanor, and she left Tunisia while she was still a minor.”
She added, “They are seeking revenge against the former head of state – her father – through her.”
Halima was arrested in Italy in 2018 at the request of Tunisia, before she was released. She currently resides in Dubai, but her arrest took place during a private visit to Paris.
Zine El Abidine Ben Ali fled Tunisia on January 14, 2011 after 23 years in power, in the midst of a popular uprising that broke out in December 2010 after a street vendor in Sidi Bouzid (central west of the country) set his body on fire and died.
He left with his wife, Laila Trabelsi, their daughter, Halima, and their youngest son, Muhammad.
Zine El Abidine Ben Ali spent the last eight years of his life in exile in Saudi Arabia, where he died in 2019.