Ex-Tunisian leader’s lawyers withdraw from trial

Ex-Tunisian leader’s lawyers withdraw from trial

Lawyers, who are defending Tunisia's ousted president, Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali on Monday withdrew from his trial claiming their client was not being treated fairly.

At the hearing, one of his lawyers, Husni Beji, asked the judge for a delay so that he could persuade Ben Ali to return to Tunisia to face trial.

The judge adjourned the hearing.

Right to fair trial

A statement issued on Monday by the Lebanese law firm which is also representing Ben Ali said the lawyers would not be taking part in the latest trial because it was a sham.

"Today's trial violates all the norms of a just trial. It aims to show President Ben Ali as a smuggler of currencies, drugs and weapons,” the statement said.

Reaction

However, members of the public in the courtroom were said to have shouted at Ben Ali's lawyers saying sorts of things.

"Get out! You have betrayed Tunisia by defending Ben Ali!" and "You should have defended the young people killed by Ben Ali's weapons!," they said.

The judge resumed the hearing a short while later, without Ben Ali's defence lawyers present, and began reading the accusations against the former president.

The charges

Ben Ali is being tried on charges of possessing drugs with the intention to sell them, and of illegal possession of weapons.

In a statement released last month, he said the charges were a fabrication.

He said the weapons were ceremonial gifts and that the drugs were planted.

The sentence

The former leader and his wife, Leila Trabelsi have already been sentenced to 35 years in prison each after the court found them guilty of theft and of illegally possessing jewellery and large sums of cash.

REUTERS/Shakira