20110618 Xinhua TUNIS, June 17 (Xinhua) -- A Tunisian military magistrate has begun extradition procedures against former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, the official press agency TAP reported on Friday.
The decision was announced by Director General of military justice Marouane Bouguerra during a press conference on Friday. The extradition request will be made in accordance with the Riyadh Arab judicial cooperation convention signed in 1983, relative to the handing over of criminals, he said.
Bouguerra also said that the three permanent military tribunals of Tunis, Sfax and le Kef have been entrusted with some 182 cases during the period between Dec. 17, 2010 and Jan. 14, 2011. The cases include voluntary manslaughter, drug trafficking and money laundering. The trial in absence of the former president who fled to Saudi Arabia on Jan. 14 following popular anti-government protests will take place in Tunis on June 20.
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