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Algerian Ex-Defense Minister Hits Back at Rivals

Algerians shop at the produce market in the Bab el-Oued suburb of Algeria's capital Algiers, on January 26, 2021. (Photo by RYAD KRAMDI / AFP)
Algerians shop at the produce market in the Bab el-Oued suburb of Algeria's capital Algiers, on January 26, 2021. (Photo by RYAD KRAMDI / AFP)
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Algerian Ex-Defense Minister Hits Back at Rivals

Algerians shop at the produce market in the Bab el-Oued suburb of Algeria's capital Algiers, on January 26, 2021. (Photo by RYAD KRAMDI / AFP)
Algerians shop at the produce market in the Bab el-Oued suburb of Algeria's capital Algiers, on January 26, 2021. (Photo by RYAD KRAMDI / AFP)

Algeria’s former defense minister General Khaled Nezzar has launched a legal battle against his business rivals.

His only partner in the Smart Link Communication (SLC) Company, Mouloud Meghzi, has been in jail since Dec. 14 after he filed a lawsuit against Nezzar and accused him of “fraud and forgery.”

On Wednesday, a court in Algiers postponed reviewing a counter lawsuit filed by Nezzar and his five sons against Meghzi, an American citizen and relative of the former minister’s wife who has been residing in the US for more than 30 years.

The case was adjourned to February at the request of the defense team, which asked for time to read all the documents.

One of Meghzi’s lawyers said he was accused of “targeting the army’s morale” based on “WhatsApp” calls with Hichem Aboud, the wanted former intelligence officer who is residing in France.

He affirmed that Meghzi only shared information and photos belonging to Nezzar and his two sons, Lotfi and Sofiane.

He wondered why his client has been given army-linked charges while his chats and calls with Aboud only tackled his business dispute with Nezzar and his family.

Sending Meghzi to pretrial detention is “arbitrary” since he could be prosecuted out of prison, the lawyer stressed.

“Meghzi is a prominent figure known for specializing in communications techniques and Internet services in Algeria and many countries,” he added.

The US embassy in Algeria has been following up his case, and the US consul attended the court hearing on Wednesday.

In 2019, Meghzi filed the lawsuit against Nezzar, and accused him and his sons of “falsifying” the company’s contracts and raising their contributions to its capital while reducing his share to an extent that prevents him from making any decision regarding its activities.

He also filed a lawsuit against Nezzar’s family in the US since the company has implemented projects there.

Meghazi was the company’s CEO and co-founder for 20 years.

Nezzar was sentenced by the military court in absentia to 20 years in prison on charges of “undermining the authority of the army” and “conspiring” against the state, and he had sought refuge in Spain with his family.

Army Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Ahmed Gaid Salah, who died in late 2019, had backed the charges amid a personal dispute that dates back to the liberation revolution, when Nezzar was still a member of the colonial army.

The charges were dropped and the case was closed a year after Salah’s death and Nezzar then returned from his self-imposed exile on Dec.11, 2020.

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A Year After Earthquake, Just 1,000 Moroccan Homes Rebuilt

A devastated village in Morocco's Atlas Mountains (AFP)
A devastated village in Morocco's Atlas Mountains (AFP)
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A Year After Earthquake, Just 1,000 Moroccan Homes Rebuilt

A devastated village in Morocco's Atlas Mountains (AFP)
A devastated village in Morocco's Atlas Mountains (AFP)

One year after a devastating earthquake struck Morocco’s Atlas mountains, just 1,000 homes have so far been rebuilt although more than 55,000 permits have been issued.

The 6.8-magnitude quake on September 8, 2023 shook the remote mountainous area south of the capital Rabat, killing nearly 3,000 people and destroying or damaging around 60,000 homes.

Following the catastrophe, an $11-billion aid program over five years was released for reconstruction and development in the six provinces affected.

Nearly a thousand families were praised for their success in completing the reconstruction and rehabilitation of their homes, according to a statement released last week by the cabinet presidency.

It said this came despite the issuance of 55,142 reconstruction permits and progress on reconstruction and rehabilitation projects for 49,632 damaged homes.

Nearly 58,000 people affected by the quake have received the first of four instalments of state aid of up to 140,000 dirhams ($14,500) but just 939 families have received the final payment.

Such grants are conditional on obtaining the necessary permits, technical studies and validation by a project manager of the various phases of construction.

The head of the government urged those affected to “speed up their work to be able to benefit” from the financial aid available.

In return, several activists, such as Mohamed Belhassen, criticized the government for its “dismal failure” of reconstruction efforts.

Belhassen, who lives in Amizmiz, some 60 kilometers from Marrakesh, told AFP, “A large number of victims are still living in tents or have been forced to leave their villages and rent elsewhere.”

In the Taroudant region some 60 kilometers from Agadir, “the situation hasn’t changed much,” said Siham Azeroual, who founded an NGO to help villagers in the North African country hit by the quake.

“Reconstruction is proceeding very slowly,” she said. Quake victims “are exhausted, and find themselves caught up in an administrative spiral.”

Meanwhile, the authorities say monthly grants to more than 63,800 affected families of 2,500 dirhams ($260) have been made.