The state news agency TAP said on Thursday that a cheque in that amount had been handed to President Moncef Marzouki by Ali bin Fetais al-Marri, appointed by the UN to head efforts to recover money from leaders overthrown in Arab uprisings.
Marri, Qatar's attorney-general, was named UN Special Advocate for Stolen Asset Recovery in September.
The money had been in a Lebanese bank account belonging to Laila Trabelsi, the wife of Ben Ali.
Ben Ali and his family fled to Saudi Arabia on January 14, 2011 after popular protests ended his 23-year rule.
Local media say billions of dollars acquired corruptly by Ben Ali and his entourage, remain unaccounted for, but the exact amount is not known.
Tunisia's government is trying to recover the money, but faces legal and political difficulties in gaining access to the accounts where it is believed held.
An International Monetary Fund team arrived in Tunis this week to discuss a USD1.78 billion loan requested by the government.