Ex-Tunisia Leader, Wife Convicted in Absentia, Sentenced to 35 years

TUNIS, Tunisia — Tunisia's former ruler and his wife have been convicted in absentia on embezzlement and other charges after $27 million in jewels and public funds were found in one of his palaces.

They were sentenced to 35 years each in prison.

The conviction of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and Leila Trabelsi followed a day-long trial before the Tunis criminal court. The couple went into exile on Jan. 14 in Saudi Arabia after a month-long uprising that sparked a string of other uprisings in the Arab world.