A former Algerian minister, Musa Benhamadi, has died in prison from the COVID-19 illness, his family nnounced his family on Saturday, accusing the Ministry of Justice of “negligence.”
Jurists said there were "strong suspicions" that a number of people were infected with the coronavirus after attending trials where they did not respect health precautions and maintain social distancing.
One of Benhamadi's relatives told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Minister's brothers have accused the Ministry of Justice of negligence in providing health care for him and would be filing a complaint against the prison administration.
The family of the late minister accused the administration of the prison of delaying his treatment, saying he contracted the virus on July 4 and was not transferred quickly to a hospital in Algiers until the 13th of the same month.
The relative of Benhamadi confirmed that his condition worsened and the prison administration did not transfer him to the hospital until after suffering from difficulty breathing.
He died on Friday night after the ventilator failed to keep him alive.
The prison administration did not act quickly and had plenty of time to provide him with needed treatment, according to the relative, who asserted that his family blames the administration for not saving him.
The former minister was buried in his hometown Ras el-Ma, 250 km east of Algiers, in the presence of the town’s imam and his two sons only.
Authorities banned hundreds of people from attending the funeral for health reasons.
The former minister was prosecuted in cases of corruption related to deals in violation of legislation in the telecommunications and mobile phones sector, during the reign of former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.
He was one of the prominent leaders of the National Liberation Front, knowing that two former leaders of the Front, Mohammad Jumaiy and Jamal Ould Abbas were also imprisoned on corruption charges.
The two former prime ministers, Ahmed Ouyahia and Abdelmalek Sellal, have been in hospital for a week after they contracted the coronavirus in prison. They were convicted of corruption during Bouteflika’s era and sentenced to prison in four cases.
Families of thousands of prisoners are concerned about their relatives’ health conditions, after the death of Benhamadi.
Lawyers attending the cases of government officials and businessmen suspect that during the past months many contracted the virus during their trials where health measures were not respected, especially social distancing.
Attorney Khaled Bouraya, who is defending a prominent businessman convicted to 12 years in prison, said that the trial was not open to the public, however, many of the attendees did not maintain the distance.
He told Asharq Al-Awsat that some of them were wearing the masks in a way that did not protect them from the virus and put others at risk.
Bouraya indicated that the defense couldn't rule out the possibility that their client and his brothers were infected with the virus during the trials that lasted for a week. He added that there was a possibility that they transmitted the virus upon their return to prison.
The lawyer announced that the prison administration and the Justice Ministry are responsible for ensuring courts are safe and providing treatment to prisoners, adding that it is their right to receive treatment like all citizens.
