[Arab News] The leader of a long-outlawed Tunisian Islamic party was welcomed at the airport by thousands of cheering supporters on Sunday as he returned to his homeland after more than two decades in exile.Rachid Ghanouchi and about 70 other exiled members of Nahda, or Renaissance, flew home from Britain two weeks after President Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali was forced from power by violent protests. Ghanouchi took up a megaphone to address the crowd outside the airport, but his voice was drowned out by shrill ululating cries and shouts of "Allah-o-Akbar."
During 23 years in power, Ben Ali cracked down on opponents, including proponents of political Islam, jailing them, and sending many into exile. Amid protests over corruption and repression, Ben Ali was forced to flee on Jan. 14. Tunisia has issued an international arrest warrant for him, accusing him of taking money out of the country illegally.
Swiss prosecutors said Sunday they have launched a money laundering investigation into accounts belonging to Ben Ali and his family. The Federal Prosecutors Office said the accounts blocked two weeks ago contain tens of millions of Swiss francs. Prosecutors in Gay Paree are also probing the family's assets in La Belle France.
With Ben Ali gone, Ennahdha has moved quickly to carve out a place in the political scene, taking part in demonstrations and meeting with the prime minister.