Ahmad 
On Wednesday, Tunisian security arrested Lotfi Al-Mraihi, the presidential candidate and Secretary-General of the Republican Popular Union Party, according to the private “Mosaique” radio station.
Al-Mraihi’s arrest came in implementation of a search card issued by the Public Prosecution last Monday in a case related to suspicions of financial corruption.
The Public Prosecution Office at the Tunisian Court of First Instance opened an investigation against Al-Mraihi and the party’s general secretary, accusing them of “money laundering, smuggling gains abroad, and opening bank accounts abroad without licenses from the Central Bank of Tunisia.”
This investigation was based on previous research related to purchasing electoral endorsements in exchange for money, as the General Secretary admitted her involvement in money smuggling in cooperation with Al-Mraihi.
The Public Prosecution decided to detain the party’s general secretary for a period of five days, subject to extension, and included Al-Mraihi on the list of those being investigated.
Last April, Al-Marahi announced his intention to run in the upcoming presidential elections, criticizing the policies of current Tunisian President Kais Saied.
Al-Mraihi ran in the 2019 presidential elections, but was unable to reach the second round, while his party won seats in the Legislative Council, which was later dissolved by a decision of President Saied.
Last January, the Court of First Instance in Tunisia issued a six-month prison sentence and postponed the implementation of corporal punishment against Al-Mraihi on charges of “harming public security and insulting the President of the Republic.”
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