Former Tunisian Prime Minister Ali Larayedh was sentenced to 34 years in prison on Friday, convicted of abetting the departure of extremist fighters to Syria for the past decade, his lawyer told Reuters. The senior figure in the opposition Ennahda party has strongly denied the accusation, saying it was “politically motivated”.
The Tunisian state news agency said that a judicial official has handed down sentences of between 18 to 36 years, and that they apply to eight officials. The court did not name those convicted alongside Mr Larayedh.
“I was neither sympathetic, nor complicit, nor neutral, nor lenient towards violence, terrorism,” Mr Larayedh told the judge on Friday, rejecting what he and his Ennahda party have called a politically motivated prosecution.
The former PM, 69, took office between 2013 to 2014, and was leader of the Islamist party Ennahda, which briefly governed Tunisia following a popular uprising in 2011 that sparked the Arab Spring. He is a critic of current Tunisian President Kais Saied.
Mr Larayedh has been in detention since 2022.
“I am not a criminal … I am a victim in this case,” he wrote in a letter addressed to the Tunis prosecutor's office on April 18.
Ennahda denies the charges linked to terrorism, and claims this case is part of a crackdown on dissent following Mr Saied’s seizure of broad powers in 2021, when he dissolved parliament and began ruling by decree.
The sentences is the latest in a series of prosecutions against people critical of Mr Saied.
Last week, lawyer Ahmed Souab, a critic of Mr Saied, was detained alongside other opposition leaders, businessmen, and media figures on charges of conspiracy.
Human rights groups have described last week sentences and detention of Mr Souab as a dangerous escalation of the repression of the opposition.
The government rejects claims of political interference, and maintains that Tunisia’s judiciary is independent.
The UN said about 5,500 Tunisians fought with extremist groups including ISIS in Iraq, Syria and Libya between 2011 and 2016.
yallacompare profile
Date of launch: 2014
Founder: Jon Richards, founder and chief executive; Samer Chebab, co-founder and chief operating officer, and Jonathan Rawlings, co-founder and chief financial officer
Based: Media City, Dubai
Sector: Financial services
Size: 120 employees
Investors: 2014: $500,000 in a seed round led by Mulverhill Associates; 2015: $3m in Series A funding led by STC Ventures (managed by Iris Capital), Wamda and Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority; 2019: $8m in Series B funding with the same investors as Series A along with Precinct Partners, Saned and Argo Ventures (the VC arm of multinational insurer Argo Group)
Last-16 Europa League fixtures
Wednesday (Kick-offs UAE)
FC Copenhagen (0) v Istanbul Basaksehir (1) 8.55pm
Shakhtar Donetsk (2) v Wolfsburg (1) 8.55pm
Inter Milan v Getafe (one leg only) 11pm
Manchester United (5) v LASK (0) 11pm
Thursday
Bayer Leverkusen (3) v Rangers (1) 8.55pm
Sevilla v Roma (one leg only) 8.55pm
FC Basel (3) v Eintracht Frankfurt (0) 11pm
Wolves (1) Olympiakos (1) 11pm
The stats
Ship name: MSC Bellissima
Ship class: Meraviglia Class
Delivery date: February 27, 2019
Gross tonnage: 171,598 GT
Passenger capacity: 5,686
Crew members: 1,536
Number of cabins: 2,217
Length: 315.3 metres
Maximum speed: 22.7 knots (42kph)
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Heather, the Totality
Matthew Weiner,
Canongate
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
Like a Fading Shadow
Antonio Muñoz Molina
Translated from the Spanish by Camilo A. Ramirez
Tuskar Rock Press (pp. 310)
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