Former KPK Chief Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison, Here’s the Case

A Tunisian court has sentenced former head of the country’s national anti-corruption body, Chawki Tabib, to 10 years in prison, in a case that adds to the long list of political and legal controversies under President Kais Saied’s government. The verdict was announced on Thursday (21 May 2026) local time and confirmed by his lawyer on Friday. Tabib was found guilty of charges of document forgery and the possession and use of forged documents, his defence lawyer Samir Dilou said, quoted by AFP. Tabib, 62, is a prominent figure in Tunisia. In addition to having led the Tunisian National Anti-Corruption Authority from 2016 to 2020, he is also known as a senior lawyer and former head of the Tunisian Bar Association. He was arrested in April last year. The case against him began after a report by the National Anti-Corruption Authority, the body he once led, alleged conflict of interest involving former Prime Minister Elyes Fakhfakh during his tenure. The report sparked a major political crisis in Tunisia at the time. Following the conflict-of-interest allegations, Fakhfakh dismissed Tabib from his post. But Tabib at the time challenged the decision and called the dismissal an ‘unconstitutional’ act and ‘abuse of power’. Tunisia’s political tensions have escalated since President Saied embarked on a sweeping power consolidation in 2021. In that controversial move, Saied dissolved a number of key state institutions, including the anti-corruption body previously led by Tabib. Human rights groups have described Saied’s actions as the starting point of a slide in democracy and civil liberties in Tunisia, once regarded as the Arab Spring’s sole democratic success story. After the dissolution of the anti-corruption agency, Tabib is known to have actively defended several opposition figures and Saied’s political opponents in court. Besides the forged-document case that ended in a 10-year prison sentence, Tabib faces several other legal cases. He is accused of money laundering and various other offences during his tenure as head of the anti-corruption body.