Tunisia seeks extradition of ousted leader

— The Tunisian government presented Saudi Arabian authorities Sunday with a formal request to extradite ousted President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, according to a statement from the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

The statement accuses Ben Ali of various crimes, including committing and inciting manslaughter, and sowing discord among citizens of the country by pushing them to kill one another.

The ministry also asked Saudi Arabia to provide accurate information concerning the condition of Ben Ali,after rumors about the deterioration of his health and the possibility that he is dead, Tunisia news agency TAP reported.

The 74-year-old BenAli fled to Saudi Arabia on Jan. 14, after a popular uprising that ended his 23-year rule and prompted a wave of protests against other autocratic leaders across the Arab world.

A United Nations mission said at least 219 people were killed, including dozens who died in prison fires, in the weeks of unrest leading up to Ben Ali’s escape. A women’s group said in a report that security forces raped, tortured and robbed people during the uprising.

The new charges come on top of claims by investigators looking into allegations that Ben Ali and his family held bank accounts and real estate in several countries to launder money obtained illegally.

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A state report Saturday showed investigators unearthing what they claimed were troves of jewels, cash and other riches in a secret safe tucked behind a bookshelf in a former Ben Ali palace.

The report said the find was a result of an investigation led by Abdelfattah Amor, a respected Tunisian law professor, into purported corruption and other abuses of the Ben Ali regime.

Amor told the program that the value of the “fortune” would be evaluated and then returned to the Tunisian people.

Also Sunday, several thousand protesters swarmed the government palace to demand the ouster of the provisional government headed by Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi, a longtime ally of Ben Ali.

Ghannouchi has said he will leave power after shepherding Tunisia through the transition period toward democracy - including elections to give the country new leadership in place of the caretaker government.

Police briefly fired warning shots to disperse the crowd.

Information for this article was contributed by Jihen Laghmari of Bloomberg News and by Bouazza Ben Bouazza of The Associated Press.

Front Section, Pages 4 on 02/21/2011

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