Tunisia arrests comedian, TV host for ‘offending’ president

TUNIS: Tunisian authorities arrested a popular comedian and a television show host Friday for offending President Beji Caid Essebsi, whose office promptly denied it had anything to do with the case.
“The prosecutor has decided to place in detention” satirist Migalo, whose real name is Wassim Lahrissi, and television host Moez Ben Gharbia, spokesman Sofiene Sliti said.
The two “committed an offense against the head of state, a fraud,” by inappropriately representing themselves as someone else, and will remain behind bars until they appear in court on March 25.
“We will not enter into the details of the case” so as not to undermine the investigation, Sliti said.
But private Mosaique FM radio, where Migalo works as a comedian and impersonator, said he had recently pretended to be the president in a telephone call he made to a businessman.
According to the broadcaster, the businessman, who was not named, had recently asked Ben Gharbia to intercede on his behalf with the president but did not say what it was about.
It was not immediately clear what the businessman was supposedly seeking or what Migalo allegedly said to him.