Tunisian presidential candidate to remain in jail

By Adil Essabiti and Gulsen Topcu

TUNIS, Tunisia (AA) - A Tunisian court has again turned down a request to release jailed media tycoon Nabil Karoui, who along with law professor Kais Saied has reached a runoff in the country’s presidential elections.

Karoui, the candidate of the Qalb Tounes (Heart of Tunisia) party, advanced to the second round against Saied, the independent candidate, in Sunday’s polls.

The judge has refused to give a ruling, saying it was not in his jurisdiction, the party said in a statement.

Courts have previously turned down requests to release Karoui for the same reason, the statement said.

Karoui was accused of financial crimes following an investigation by an anti-corruption group.

On July 8, a court ordered Karoui and his brother’s assets to be frozen and imposed a travel ban.

Karoui was arrested on Aug. 23 on charges of money laundering and tax evasion.

According to official results, Saied secured 18.4% of the vote while Karoui came in second with 15.6%

*Writing by Rabia Iclal Turan