TRIPOLI, Libya — A Tunisian court sentenced the country’s ousted president, Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, and his wife, Leila Trabelsi, to 35 years in prison and a fine of roughly $66 million after a trial in absentia for embezzlement and misuse of public funds, state news media said Monday night.

He still faces charges for the possession of illegal drugs, firearms and archaeological relics found in his palaces, as well as for ordering the killing of civilians in his bid to cling to power. The verdict Monday, after the one-day trial, focused on $27 million in jewels and public money reportedly found at one of his mansions.

Mr. Ben Ali’s ouster in January started the Arab Spring and inspired the Egyptian uprising that toppled President Hosni Mubarak a month later. Egyptians are watching the court proceedings closely as they prepare for Mr. Mubarak’s trial this summer. Both have stirred debate over how to balance public demands for swift justice with a more deliberative demonstration of the rule of law.

Mr. Ben Ali and his wife are in exile in Saudi Arabia, which refused Tunisian extradition requests. They are reviled in Tunisia for presiding over a corrupt administration that enabled Ms. Trabelsi, a former hairdresser from a humble family, to help her relatives quickly achieve vast fortunes and opulent lifestyles.