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Controversial Tunisian media mogul and former presidential candidate Nabil Karoui was released on bail Wednesday after spending two months in detention on charges of money laundering and tax evasion, a judicial source said.
“The judge has decided to release Nabil Karoui on bail of 10 million dinars (more than three million euros). He must remain at the disposal of the courts,” Deputy Attorney General Mohsen Dali told AFP.
Karoui, now 57, was first arrested in August 2019 after being charged with tax evasion and money laundering arising from a 2017 investigation.
The business mogul came second in the first round of the Tunisian presidential ballot while in prison. He was released a few days before the second round in October 2019.
He was arrested again on December 24 for the same case.
Karoui founded the Qalb Tounes party, which came second in last year’s parliamentary elections but now holds 30 of the chamber’s 217 seats after a string of defections.
It is an ally of the Islamist-inspired Ennahdha party, which holds the most seats.
Karoui founded the main Tunisian private channel Nessma TV and presented himself as a candidate for the poor.
He had polished his reputation in recent years with a charity show on Nessma in which he distributed household appliances to families in need.
Other politicians have often accused Karoui of corruption and several cases have been opened against him and his TV station, which broadcasts without a license.
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