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Credit: Reuters/Jacky Naegelen/Pool By Tarek Amara TUNIS | Mon Jun 20, 2011 10:04am EDT TUNIS (Reuters) - Tunisia's ousted president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali said Monday he was tricked into leaving the country six months ago, setting the stage for a revolution which inspired the "Arab Spring" rippling across the region. Ben Ali fled to Saudi Arabia on January 14, after mass protests against 23 years of rule in which he, his wife and their family built stakes in the country's biggest businesses and accumulated vast fortunes at what Tunisians say was their expense. A Tunisian court began trying Ben Ali and his wife in absentia on charges of theft, and illegally possessing arms, jewelry, cash, drugs and weapons. Hundreds of protesters stood outside the courtroom demanding that Ben Ali, 74, be brought back to Tunisia. Tunisia's revolt electrified millions across the Arab world who suffer similarly from high unemployment, rising prices and repressive governments. Ben Ali's trial will be watched closely in Egypt, where former president Hosni Mubarak is due to stand trial over the killing of protesters. In a statement issued by his lawyers, Ben Ali gave his first detailed account of the events leading to his departure. At the time, thousands of protesters had gathered in the center of the capital Tunis to demand that he step down, the culmination of three weeks of demonstrations which police tried to disperse by firing on the crowds. The statement said that the head of presidential security had come to Ben Ali in his office and told him "friendly" foreign intelligence services had passed on information about a plot to assassinate the president. He was persuaded to get on a plane that was taking his wife and children to safety in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, but with the intention of returning immediately, the statement said. "He boarded the plane with his family after ordering the crew to wait for him in Jeddah. But after his arrival in Jeddah, the plane returned to Tunisia, without waiting for him, contrary to his orders. "He did not leave his post as president of the republic and hasn't fled Tunisia as he was falsely accused of doing," the statement said. MORE FREEDOM Ben Ali's version of events is unlikely to elicit sympathy from the majority of Tunisians. They are now enjoying relative freedom after decades when most people would not speak openly for fear of arrest by the secret police. The trial which got under way Monday is likely to shed light on the belief widely held in Tunisia that Ben Ali, his wife Leila Trabelsi, and members of their family had enriched themselves by embezzling state assets. Before Ben Ali's ouster, diplomats spoke of Tunisia's first lady spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on shopping trips abroad, while her relatives acquired yachts and beachside villas and used their influence to muscle in on lucrative businesses. Judge Touhami Hafian detailed how investigators who went to the presidential palace and Ben Ali's private residence after he fled found 1.8 kg of illegal drugs and 43 million Tunisian dinars ($31 million) in cash. He said they had also come across jewelry, archeological artifacts, and arms, all of which he said Ben Ali had obtained illegally. The prosecutor asked the judge to hand down "the most severe punishments for those who betrayed the trust and stole the money of the people for their personal gain .... They did not stop stealing for 23 years." In his statement released Monday, Ben Ali said the charges against him were a fabrication designed to blacken his name. He said the weapons were gifts from other heads of state and the jewelry had been given as gifts to his wife by foreign dignitaries. The money and drugs had been planted in his home and the presidential palace after his departure as part of a plot against him, he said in the statement. He also denied having any bank accounts in Switzerland or any other foreign country, and said that he did not own any property overseas. Outside the courtroom, several hundred protesters chanted "How long will he be allowed to flee?" Some demanded that Ben Ali be sentenced to death. "Why did they start with the trial over the drugs and weapons and stolen money?" said a woman protester. "Why don't they start with a trial for killing hundreds of people?" Ben Ali is also due to face a separate trial, in a Tunisian military court, on charges that include conspiring against the state and manslaughter. In the statement released through his lawyers, Ben Ali denied giving the order to fire on protesters. (Writing by Christian Lowe; Editing by Mark Heinrich) World Tunisia Tweet this Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/ Comments (1) JoeDoakes99 wrote: Perhaps he should have stayed and been put up against a wall and shot? Jun 20, 2011 10:31am EDT -- Report as abuse See All Comments » Add Your Comment Social Stream (What's this?) © Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters Editorial Editions: Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom United States Reuters Contact Us Advertise With Us Help Journalism Handbook Archive Site Index Video Index Reader Feedback Mobile Newsletters RSS Podcasts Widgets Your View Analyst Research Thomson Reuters Copyright Disclaimer Privacy Professional Products Professional Products Support Financial Products About Thomson Reuters Careers Online Products Acquisitions Monthly Buyouts Venture Capital Journal International Financing Review Project Finance International PEhub.com PE Week FindLaw Super Lawyers Attorney Rating Service Reuters on Facebook Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. 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