---
id: 23
name: |-

  Zine El Abidine Ben Ali
sanctionsCountry: Tunisia
fullName: Zine El Abidine Ben Haj Hamda Ben Haj Hassen Ben Ali
nativeName: زين العابدين بن علي‎
surname: Ben Ali
firstAndMidleNames: Zine El Abidine Ben Haj Hamda Ben Haj Hassen
aliases:
  - Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali
identifyingInformation: Former president
placeOfBirth: 'Tunisia, Hammam Sousse'
dateOfBirth: 03.09.1936
countryOfResidence: Saudi Arabia
corruptionLink: ''
familyMembers:
  - name: Leila Trabelsi
    type: spouse
  - name: Nesrine Ben Ali
    type: daughter
  - name: Halima Ben Ali
    type: daughter
  - name: Cyrine Ben Ali
    type: daughter
  - name: Dorsaf Ben Ali
    type: daughter
  - name: Ghazoua Ben Ali
    type: daughter
familyMembersSubjectToSanctions:
  - Leila Trabelsi
  - Nesrine Ben Ali
  - Halima Ben Ali
  - Cyrine Ben Ali
  - Dorsaf Ben Ali
  - Ghazoua Ben Ali
suspectedOrConfirmedOverseasProperties: >-
  Property in Frankfurt, Germany, belonging to one of his daughters
  [1](http://www.welt.de/wirtschaft/article12465557/Deutschland-beschlagnahmt-Vermoegen-des-Ben-Ali-Clans.html)
suspectedOrConfirmedLinksToLegalEntities: ''
suspectedOrConfirmedLinksToBankAccounts: >-
  German accounts
  [1](http://www.welt.de/wirtschaft/article12465557/Deutschland-beschlagnahmt-Vermoegen-des-Ben-Ali-Clans.html)
suspectedOrConfirmedLinksToOtherAssets: ''
estimatesOfAssetsFrozenOrConfiscated: >-
  Unknown amounts in Germany
  [1](http://www.welt.de/wirtschaft/article12465557/Deutschland-beschlagnahmt-Vermoegen-des-Ben-Ali-Clans.html),
  $80 million frozen or seized in Switzerland, France, Belgium and Italy.
  [2](http://blogs.worldbank.org/arabvoices/impactevaluations/publicsphere/nasikiliza/endpovertyinsouthasia/health/voices/tracking-tunisias-stolen-assets-balance-sheet-three-years).
  $61.75 million in Switzerland alone
  [3](https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/politics/returning-stolen-assets_the-complex-case-of-tunisia-s-blocked-funds/41360476) 
estimatesOfAssetsReturned: >-
  Two planes (France, Switzerland) and two yachts (Italy and Spain)
  [1](http://blogs.worldbank.org/arabvoices/impactevaluations/publicsphere/nasikiliza/endpovertyinsouthasia/health/voices/tracking-tunisias-stolen-assets-balance-sheet-three-years).
  Assets from Swizerland in two rounds - first around €225,000, followed by €3.5
  million in 2017.
  [2](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-tunisia-swiss-assets/swiss-return-funds-from-ben-ali-relative-to-tunisia-idUSKBN18M1RN)
typeOfSanctions: Asset freeze and prohibition to make funds available
startOfSanctions: 04.02.2011
---
Ex-president of Tunisia was born in Hamman-Sousse 3 September 1936. He was a 
president for 23 years before stepping down in January 2011 due to a wave of 
demonstrations, that have seen several protesters killed. Over his long rule, 
Ben Ali's extended family were said to take control over many areas of Tunisia's 
business. After the regime fell, Tunisian authorities seized 220 companies owned 
by the family members which controlled 21% of private sector profits. Ben Ali 
and his wife Leïla Trabelsi were found guilty in absentia by a Tunisian court 
for embezzlement and misuse of public funds, and sentenced to 35 years in 
prison. However, they both currently remain in Saudi Arabia, together with their 
children Halima and Mohamed. 
[1](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12196679), 
[2](https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/blog/2017/10/15/ex-tunisian-dictator-ben-ali-makes-public-appearance), 
[3](https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2014/03/revealing-tunisia-corruption-under-ben-ali-201432785825560542.html) 
