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Algeria Awaits Prosecution of New Batch of Bouteflika Era Ministers

Part of the demonstrations demanding the trial of Bouteflika regime officials in the center of Algiers (AFP)
Part of the demonstrations demanding the trial of Bouteflika regime officials in the center of Algiers (AFP)
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Algeria Awaits Prosecution of New Batch of Bouteflika Era Ministers

Part of the demonstrations demanding the trial of Bouteflika regime officials in the center of Algiers (AFP)
Part of the demonstrations demanding the trial of Bouteflika regime officials in the center of Algiers (AFP)

Political corridors in Algeria are living in anticipation of a new group of senior officials from the former President Abdulaziz Bouteflika era being brought before justice after the conclusion of graft and corruption investigations.

Two ex-prime ministers, several former ministers, and business tycoons have been brought under the scope for misconduct in vital sectors of the North African state’s economy.

Some were jailed in 2019 after the judiciary convicted them of first-degree crimes, while others are still awaiting trial.

“A new group of former officials in government agencies will soon be summoned before investigative judges of the Supreme Court (the highest body in the civil judiciary),” a well-informed judiciary source, who requested anonymity, told Asharq Al-Awsat.

“Others will be summoned to the courts of the first instance to respond to suspicions of corruption, mismanagement, and squandering of public money,” they added.

“Most of them were named during the interrogation of former officials, who were convicted by the judiciary in the past two years to prison,” the source added.

Last Thursday, the judiciary placed former Finance Minister Arezki Berraki in pretrial detention.

He was placed in custody based on charges of mismanaging water dams.

Taher Khawa, who served as the Minister of Relations with Parliament, was also imprisoned for forging official documents.

The most famous officials from the Bouteflika regime sentenced by the judiciary include former Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia, Abdelmalek Sellal, Said Barakat, and Jamal Ould Abbas.

They were each given imprisonment sentences varying between 10 to 15 years. Some were also put on death row.

All judicial observers of the prosecution and investigative judges stated that the suspects claimed having implemented President Bouteflika’s decisions and policies, the source told Asharq Al-Awsat.

They were quoted as saying that rejecting the president’s decisions in managing mega deals and projects would have led to their dismissal and prosecution, the source added.

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Gaza's Health Ministry Says the Palestinian Death Toll from the War Has Surpassed 46,000

People search the rubble of a building destroyed in an Israeli strike on the Bureij camp for Palestinian refugees in the central Gaza Strip on January 8, 2025 as the war between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement continues. (Photo by Eyad BABA / AFP)
People search the rubble of a building destroyed in an Israeli strike on the Bureij camp for Palestinian refugees in the central Gaza Strip on January 8, 2025 as the war between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement continues. (Photo by Eyad BABA / AFP)
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Gaza's Health Ministry Says the Palestinian Death Toll from the War Has Surpassed 46,000

People search the rubble of a building destroyed in an Israeli strike on the Bureij camp for Palestinian refugees in the central Gaza Strip on January 8, 2025 as the war between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement continues. (Photo by Eyad BABA / AFP)
People search the rubble of a building destroyed in an Israeli strike on the Bureij camp for Palestinian refugees in the central Gaza Strip on January 8, 2025 as the war between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement continues. (Photo by Eyad BABA / AFP)

More than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war, Gaza's Health Ministry said Thursday, as the conflict raged into a 16th month with no end in sight.
The ministry said a total of 46,006 Palestinians have been killed and 109,378 wounded. It has said women and children make up more than half the fatalities, but does not say how many of the dead were fighters or civilians, said The Associated Press.
The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence. It says it tries to avoid harming civilians and blames Hamas for their deaths because the militants operate in residential areas. Israel has also repeatedly struck what it claims are militants hiding in shelters and hospitals, often killing women and children.
The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting around 250. Some 100 hostages are still inside Gaza. Israeli authorities believe at least a third of them were killed in the initial attack or have died in captivity.
The war has flattened large areas of Gaza and displaced around 90% of its 2.3 million people, with many forced to flee multiple times. Hundreds of thousands are packed into sprawling tent camps along the coast with limited access to food and other essentials.
In recent weeks, Israel and Hamas have appeared to inch closer to an agreement for a ceasefire and the release of hostages. But the indirect talks mediated by the United States, Qatar and Egypt have repeatedly stalled over the past year, and major obstacles remain.