Former Tunisian religious affairs minister appears in court on Omra corruption charges

A former Tunisian minister of religious affairs appeared before the specialised financial corruption chamber at the Tunis Court of First Instance on Monday 29 June, facing corruption charges linked to the organisation of Omra pilgrimages during his time in office, La Presse de Tunisie reported.

The former minister stood in the dock alongside several co-defendants, including the owner of a private television channel and a travel agency operator, according to earlier court referral documents reported by La Presse and Univers News in May 2025, when the Tunis Court of Appeal's indictment chamber ordered the three sent for criminal trial.

The charges

Prosecutors allege abuse of public office to obtain undue advantages, either for the defendants themselves or for third parties, as well as violations of the administrative rules and procedures governing the ministry's operations, La Presse reported.

The investigation centres on the alleged irregular award of contracts and licences for organising Omra pilgrimage seasons, said to have been granted to certain parties without adherence to the principles of transparency, competition or good governance, according to the paper.

Background

The minister in question is widely understood by Tunisian media to be Ibrahim Chaibi, who held the religious affairs portfolio until President Kais Saied dismissed him on 21 June 2024. His removal at the time followed the deaths of 49 Tunisian pilgrims during that year's Hajj season in Saudi Arabia, AFP reported.

Allegations of financial irregularities in the management of pilgrimage operations during Chaibi's tenure had surfaced as early as 2022, when Tunisian media began reporting suspicions of corruption in the handling of public funds linked to the Mecca pilgrimage. Chaibi had denied the allegations at the time.

Monday's appearance marks the trial phase of proceedings, the case having been referred from the appellate indictment chamber to the criminal court in May 2025.

Wider context

Tunisia's specialised anti-corruption criminal chambers have handled a series of high-profile cases against former officials in recent years. Earlier this year, a former prime minister and a former head of the Court of Cassation were among figures to appear before or be sentenced by the same court system.

In November 2025, the Ministry of Tourism warned Tunisian pilgrims against dealing with unlicensed operators for Omra travel, calling on the faithful to use only category-A accredited agencies, a statement that underlined continuing regulatory concerns around the pilgrimage sector.

No outcome or next hearing date was reported from Monday's session at the time of publication.