Tunisia’s former President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, who was ousted following anti-government protests last January, will be tried in absentia.

Tunisia’s former President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, who was ousted following anti-government protests last January, will be tried in absentia.

Prime Minister Beji Caid Sebsi said that Ben Ali’s trial would start on June 20.
"He will be tried in a military and in a civilian court”, Sebsi told al-Jazeera channel.

In a statement released by his French lawyer, Ben Ali has slammed the trial as a "masquerade".

The ousted president fled to Jeddah after he was toppled by mass protests on January 14 after 23 years in power. Several members of his family and some of his closest allies were detained shortly after he was forced out.

Tunisian authorities have been preparing several legal cases against Ben Ali, including conspiring against the state, voluntary manslaughter, drug trafficking and peddling of archaeological artifacts.

Officials in Tunis have said the first charges would relate to the discovery of cash, weapons and drugs in presidential palaces, including almost two kilograms of narcotics, thought to be cannabis, and $27m in cash.