Algerian police arrested more than 15,000 people in 2022 on charges of financial corruption, according to an Algerian security official.
Deputy Director of Police Public Security Ahmed al-Hussein told the Algerian radio that the security units specialized in tracking financial crimes handled more than 14,000 cases last year, referring 10,600 to court.
He highlighted that 15,439 people were arrested during investigations into organized crime in 2022.
The official said that the police counted about 20,000 cases in combating organized crime, expressing optimism about the speed and effectiveness of dealing with these cases.
He reported that the value of the properties confiscated during the campaign against organized and financial crimes amounted to €9 million.
Security officials noted that the country has been witnessing a concerning escalation in organized crime, prompting the formation of new units and institutions.
According to Hussein, police officials are optimistic about the results of the campaigns against organized and financial crimes, noting that the efforts of the new security teams have started to yield results.
Algeria has over 200,000 policemen, which according to government officials, is not enough compared to a population of more than 45 million, based on the last census.
The Deputy Director stated that narcotics are very harmful, with more than seven million pills seized in 2022, noting that the issue is causing problems among the youth, and asserting that the authorities did their best to limit the phenomenon.
During the same year, authorities also seized more than five quintals of cannabis, 25 kilograms of cocaine, and eight kilograms of heroin, according to Hussein.
The Algerian authorities have imprisoned dozens of state officials, businessmen, and officers over corruption, since the ousting of late Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika on April 2, 2019, under the pressure of the army and protesters.
