Former Tunisian dictator Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali was the first Arab dictator forced from office in the wake of massive public protest. But according to the now exiled ruler, he was “tricked” into leaving the country.
Ben Ali claims he agreed to take a plane to Saudi Arabia to prepare a place for his family to flee to safety, but intended to return immediately. This attempt was foiled when the crew flew back to Tunisia without him.
The aging Ben Ali, who is still in Saudi Arabia, was sentenced to 35 years in prison and $66 million in fines today by a Tunisian court for his role in embezzlement of public funds. His wife, accused to leaving the country with much of the nation’s gold, was also sentenced.
The Saudi government has refused to extridite Ben Ali or his family already, so the sentence in absentia is unlikely to have any real effect. It is symbolic, however, of the Tunisian peoples’ eagerness to move beyond the dictatorship of the past and toward free elections.
Tricked? Right… You were running for your life. You cleaned out the Treasury and you were running from the mobs that were going to surely hang your ass if they got their hands on you. In case you hadn't noticed, there are daily flights out of Riyadh into Tunis. I bet there would be a welcoming committee at the airport when you deplane just overjoyed to see you again. Trust me.
Well, Mr. Ben Ali, that little problem can be easily solved: return to Tunisia. They're waiting for you there with a warm bed and a cup of tea. Well, maybe not any of that but the brave people of Tunisia have sentenced him to 35 years in jail in absentia. I'm sure they'd love for him to come back.