Lelia Trabelsi to publish memoirs

The wife of ousted Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali has finished writing her memoir which is expected to be published in May, Tunisian newspaper Al Maghreb reported on Wednesday. Titled “Ma Verite,” or “My Truth,” Leila Trabelsi’s book will be published by a French publishing house and will respond to accusations made against her and her family, the newspaper said. Trabelsi fled to Saudi Arabia with her husband who was forced out of power last year. Tunisia’s uprising ushered in the so-called Arab Spring which has ended the rule of leaders in Egypt, Libya and Yemen. Trabelsi was sentenced on June 20 in absentia to 35 years in prison on charges of corruption. Trabelsi and members of her family are alleged by opponents to have controlled much of the country’s economy through holdings including an airline, hotels and real estate.