Tunis: The Public Prosecutor's Office of the Economic and Financial Judicial Division issued a detention warrant on Monday against businessman Ridha Charfeddine for making profits abroad without authorisation from the Central Bank of Tunisia (BCT), spokesperson for the Tunis Court of First Instance, Mohamed Zitouna, told TAP.

The Public Prosecutor's Office has decided to refer Charafeddine, who is currently in prison, to the Indictment Chamber of the Judicial Economic and Financial Division to be prosecuted on the basis of 12 articles of the Customs Code and the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Code "for making profits outside Tunisia without the authorisation of the Central Bank of Tunisia," the same source said.

The Customs Investigation Directorate is demanding a fine estimated at 11.795 million dinars, in addition to an individual prosecution for money laundering in accordance with the provisions of Article 73 of Decree No. 79 of 2022".

According to investigations, Charfeddine has properties and bank accounts in Europe, adding that the volume of financial transactions made amounts to nearly 3.5 million euros.

Zitouna pointed out that Ridha Charfeddine closed the bank account in question on February 16, 2024 and transferred the available balance, which is approximately pound 2 million in foreign currency, to a personal bank account in an African country.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse