Tunisian authorities on Wednesday arrested and jailed Mounir Baatour, head of the opposition Liberal party, on sodomy charges but he denied any wrongdoing, his lawyer told AFP.

Baatour, himself a lawyer, "totally denied the charges against him and it is wrong to say he was caught in the act," Koutheir Bouallegue added.

Press reports claimed that Baatour and a lover were found in a hotel room by staff who notified police.

Sodomy is illegal under Tunisian law, with convicted offenders facing jail terms of three years.

Bouallegue said that the young man accused of having sex with Baatour was not arrested, and insisted that the charge sheet was rife with procedural errors.

Baatour is little known in Tunisia and his party has no seats in parliament.