Tunis, Feb 5 (TAP)-The second Criminal Chamber of the Tunis Court of First Instance on Wednesday handed down verdicts in the so-called "Instalingo" case, ranging from 5 to 54 years in prison, along with confiscation of property and financial penalties against 41 defendants, including those who are on the run, lawyer Mokhtar Jemai told TAP. The case involves security officials, bloggers, journalists, businessmen and politicians, including Ennahda leader Rached Ghannouchi, former Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi and former Head of the Presidendial Cabinet Nadia Akacha, on charges of "conspiracy against state security, changing the structure of the State and offence against the President of the Republic" according to Articles 61, 62 bis and 67 of the Criminal Code. Lawyers Mokhtar Jemai and Mohamed Ali Bouchiba provided TAP with a number of these verdicts, which they said will be appealed, as follows: * Hichem Mechichi (35 years in prison and TND 80,000 fine) * Rached Ghannouchi (22 years in prison and TND 80,000 fine) * Rafik Abdessalem Bouchleka (34 years in prison) * Soumaya Ghannouchi (25 years in prison) * Mouadh Ghannouchi (35 years in prison) * Haithem Kahili (28 years in prison) * Salem Kahili (54 years in prison) * Yahya Kahili (18 years in prison) * Sayed Ferjani (13 years in prison and a TND 50,000 fine) * Lazhar Longo (15 years imprisonment and 300,000 dinars fine) * Samia Sbabti (10 years in prison) * Taoufik Sebai (8 years in prison) * Mohamed Ali Laroui (13 years in prison) The Chamber also sentenced blogger Salim Jebali to 12 years in prison, journalist Shatha Hadj Mbarek to 5 years in prison, blogger Achref Barbouch to 6 years in prison, and journalist Shahrazad Akacha to 27 years in prison in absentia. |