The Tunisian justice ministry is in contact with Seychelles' authorities over the extradition of former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali's son-in-law, the North African nation's judicial authorities said Friday.

Sakhr El Materi, who is under an Interpol search warrant, was questioned by Seychelles' emigration authorities after arriving in the island with an expired diplomatic passport.

El Materi has been sentenced in absentia to 16 years in prison with a fine of 97 million dinars (nearly 70 million U.S. dollars) by a Tunisian court on a corruption charge.

Most of his Tunisia-based assets have been sold or placed under state custody pending auctioning, including his 25-percent stake in the country's largest mobile communication company, Tunisiana.

"We will do whatever we can to have El Materi arrested and extradited," Tunisian Justice Minister Noureddine Bhiri told a Tunis-based conference on asset recovery.

El Materi left Tunisia and stayed in Qatar after last year's anti-government protests in Tunisia. He was expelled from the Gulf state in September.