عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Algeria: Detained Ex-Ministers Claim They Acted Upon Bouteflika’s Orders

Algerian policemen stand guard outside the court in Algiers (File photo: AFP)
Algerian policemen stand guard outside the court in Algiers (File photo: AFP)
TT
TT

Algeria: Detained Ex-Ministers Claim They Acted Upon Bouteflika’s Orders

Algerian policemen stand guard outside the court in Algiers (File photo: AFP)
Algerian policemen stand guard outside the court in Algiers (File photo: AFP)

Dozens of former Algerian ministers on trial in corruption-related charges claimed they were only acting upon the orders of former President Abdulaziz Bouteflika.

The Former Minister of Public Works, Amar Ghoul, was questioned by the appeals judge in Algiers on projects and deals granted to businessmen, which violated investment laws in the country.

Ghoul denied all the charges that led to his imprisonment a year ago, explaining that all the measures taken to benefit investors during his tenure, between 2002 and 2013, were done upon instructions by the former President or in implementation of the decisions of the government.

He also denied any involvement in the corruption cases, stressing that he did not sign any agreement or investment contract, project, or deal that benefited businessmen.

The main defendant of the case is the wealthy businessman, Ali Haddad, who was sentenced by the court of first instance to 18 years in prison. His four brothers also received heavy sentences.

Haddad’s imprisonment led to the detention of former prime ministers Ahmed Ouyahia and Abdelmalek Sellal, and several other officials in ministries relating to investment, which pumped huge sums of money in oil revenues during the early 2000s.

Ghoul asserted that the state treasury did not lose money during his tenure, but rather gained a lot in “hard currency.”

He pleaded the court to do him justice, asserting that he was dedicated to his work and had the country's best interests at heart.

Sellal made similar statements during his trial saying he was ordered by Bouteflika to grant facilities to a number of businessmen close to the president's brother, Said.

He stated that these projects generated huge sums of money for the investors, most of whom were currently in prison.

Notably, the majority of the ministers claimed they were acting upon “instructions from the president,” or “his brother,” who was the second man in power, to try to evade punishment.

Ouyahia was the only former official who did not mention any of the Bouteflika brothers during his trials.

Observers familiar with the prosecutions noticed that the new authority strongly rejected summoning Bouteflika to court, even as a witness.

When asked about calls to bring the former President to trial, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, who was a minister and then prime minister during Bouteflika's term, refused to interfere with the judiciary.

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

Lebanon Parliament Adjourns for Consultations after Failing to Elect Aoun in First Round

The Lebanese Parliament building a day before a session to elect the Lebanese president, in Beirut, Lebanon, 08 January 2025. (EPA)
The Lebanese Parliament building a day before a session to elect the Lebanese president, in Beirut, Lebanon, 08 January 2025. (EPA)
TT
TT

Lebanon Parliament Adjourns for Consultations after Failing to Elect Aoun in First Round

The Lebanese Parliament building a day before a session to elect the Lebanese president, in Beirut, Lebanon, 08 January 2025. (EPA)
The Lebanese Parliament building a day before a session to elect the Lebanese president, in Beirut, Lebanon, 08 January 2025. (EPA)

Lebanon's parliament speaker Nabih Berri adjourned a session held on Thursday to elect a president for two hours of consultations, after a first round of voting failed to produce enough votes for Lebanese army commander Joseph Aoun.
Aoun needs 86 votes to be elected but received 71. Two political sources said he was likely to cross the 86-vote threshold in a second session on Thursday.

Lawmakers began the session amid expectations it could see Aoun elected as president following a vacancy of more than two years.
The 128-lawmaker chamber, which has failed to reach consensus a dozen times amid tensions between the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement and its opponents, started discussions at 11:00 am (0900 GMT).
Aoun, no relation to the former president, is widely seen as the preferred candidate of the United States, whose assistance Lebanon will need as it seeks to rebuild after a 14-month conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.
Hezbollah previously backed another candidate, Suleiman Franjieh, the leader of Marada movement with close ties to former Syrian President Bashar Assad.
However, on Wednesday, Franjieh announced he had withdrawn from the race and endorsed Aoun, apparently clearing the way for the army chief.
Lebanon’s fractious sectarian power-sharing system is prone to deadlock, both for political and procedural reasons. The small, crisis-battered Mediterranean country has been through several extended presidential vacancies, with the longest lasting nearly 2 1/2 years between May 2014 and October 2016. It ended when former President Michel Aoun was elected.
As a sitting army commander, Joseph Aoun is technically barred from becoming president by Lebanon's constitution. The ban has been waived before, but it means that Aoun faces additional procedural hurdles.
Under normal circumstances, a presidential candidate in Lebanon can be elected by a two-thirds majority of the 128-member house in the first round of voting, or by a simple majority in a subsequent round.
But because of the constitutional issues surrounding his election, Aoun would need a two-thirds majority even in the second round.
Other contenders include Jihad Azour, a former finance minister who is now the director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the International Monetary Fund; and Elias al-Baysari, the acting head of Lebanon’s General Security agency.
A president is needed to appoint a permanent prime minister and cabinet. The caretaker government that has run Lebanon for the last two years has reduced powers because it was not appointed by a sitting president.
The next government will face daunting challenges apart from implementing the ceasefire agreement that ended the Israel-Hezbollah war and seeking funds for reconstruction.
Lebanon is six years into an economic and financial crisis that decimated the country's currency and wiped out the savings of many Lebanese. The cash-strapped state electricity company provides only a few hours of power a day.
The country's leaders reached a preliminary agreement with the IMF for a bail-out package in 2022 but have made limited progress on reforms required to clinch the deal.