ALBAWABA - Ahead of the upcoming elections in Tunisia, presidential candidate Ayachi Zammel has been served a sentence of 12 years over falsifying documents allegations.
Abdessater Messoudi, Zammel's lawyer, stated: "The court in Tunis sentenced Ayachi Zammel to 12 years in prison in four cases related to voter endorsements,". This sentence comes as the third one in the span of a month, as Zammel was also served with a 6-month on the same allegations in addition to a 20-month one.
Later in September, Tunisia's TAP news agency reported that the Criminal Chamber of the Jendouba Court of First Instance sentenced Zammel to six months in jail for "deliberately using a fraudulent certificate".
"It is another unjust ruling and a farce that clearly aims to weaken him in the election race, but we will defend his right to the last minute," Zammel’s lawyer Abdessattar Massoudi told the news agency Reuters.
The verdict highlights rising tensions ahead of the poll, with opposition and civil society organizations expressing fears about a possible manipulated election intended to retain President Kais Saied in office.
Zammel, a businessman who was unknown to the general public before to his presidential campaign, was detained on September 2 on suspicion of falsifying signatures gathered to file the candidacy papers required to run for president.
