The Arafat Fund
The Arafat FundIsrael news photo: Aryeh King

Suha Arafat is wanted in Tunis in connection for her ties with the family of former President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, according to the AFP news agency, which quoted Tunisian media. She has denied the charges.

“Tunisia issued an [international] arrest warrant against Mrs. Arafat on suspicion of involvement in cases of financial corruption with the family of Ben Ali's wife,” said a spokesman for the country's Justice Ministry.

Suha Arafat and the president's wife, Leila Trabelsi, went into business together, setting up an international school in the city of Carthage.

The widow of the late terrorist chief, who died in 2004, became a Tunisian citizen after her husband's death.

However, friction developed between the two women, and in 2007, Suha Arafat's citizenship was revoked and she was declared persona non grata and forced out of the country. She owns a home in Malta, according to media reports.

Both Ben Ali and Trabelsi have since been convicted in absentia by Tunisia's transitional government of theft, corruption and other charges.