Algeria Finance Minister, Ex-Police Chief Probed over Corruption

Protesters in Algiers, Algeria. (Reuters)
Protesters in Algiers, Algeria. (Reuters)
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Algeria Finance Minister, Ex-Police Chief Probed over Corruption

Protesters in Algiers, Algeria. (Reuters)
Protesters in Algiers, Algeria. (Reuters)

Algeria’s Finance Minister Mohamed Loukal appeared in Algiers as part of an investigation into suspected misuse of public funds, state television reported.

Former police chief Abdelghani Hamel also appeared before another court as part of an investigation into “illegal activities, influence peddling, misappropriation of land and abuse of office”.

Hamel, who was sacked last year by former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika for undisclosed reasons, and his son appeared in Tipaza, west of the capital.

Loukal and Hamel left court after being questioned by judges, the private television channel Ennahar reported, without providing details. None of the men or the lawyers defending them made any immediate comment.

It is unclear what happened in the courts. Under the Algerian legal system, judges can look into ongoing investigations and decide whether to put people in custody or release them until inquiries are complete.

Loukal and Hamel join a list of powerful figures to face judicial investigations since mass protests forced the resignation of Bouteflika this month.

High-profile figures targeted over the past week include the North African country's richest man, Issad Rebrab, who was detained on allegations of false customs declarations.

The head of the vast state oil firm Sonatrach, Abdelmoumen Ould Kaddour, has been fired and replaced on the orders of interim president Abdelkader Bensalah.

Four brothers from the influential Kouninef family, close to Bouteflika's brother Said, have been arrested over alleged non-compliance with state contracts, according to official media.

Protesters took to the streets in February, calling for the ousting of Bouteflika and the dismantling of the political elite that surrounded his 20-year rule.

Bouteflika resigned on April 2 under pressure from the army, but the protests have continued with calls for a handover to a new, civilian-led government.

Abdelkader Bensalah, head of the upper house of parliament, became interim president after Bouteflika’s departure. Presidential elections are scheduled for July 4.



Iran’s Supreme Leader Says Syrian Youth Will Resist Incoming Government

A defaced portrait of ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is seen in Damascus, Syria, 18 December 2024 (issued 22 December 2024). (EPA)
A defaced portrait of ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is seen in Damascus, Syria, 18 December 2024 (issued 22 December 2024). (EPA)
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Iran’s Supreme Leader Says Syrian Youth Will Resist Incoming Government

A defaced portrait of ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is seen in Damascus, Syria, 18 December 2024 (issued 22 December 2024). (EPA)
A defaced portrait of ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is seen in Damascus, Syria, 18 December 2024 (issued 22 December 2024). (EPA)

Iran's supreme leader on Sunday said that young Syrians will resist the new government emerging after the overthrow of President Bashar sl-Assad as he again accused the United States and Israel of sowing chaos in the country.

Iran had provided crucial support to Assad throughout Syria's nearly 14-year civil war, which erupted after he launched a violent crackdown on a popular uprising against his family's decades-long rule. Syria had long served as a key conduit for Iranian aid to Lebanon's armed group Hezbollah.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said in an address on Sunday that the “young Syrian has nothing to lose" and suffers from insecurity following Assad's fall.

“What can he do? He should stand with strong will against those who designed and those who implemented the insecurity," Khamenei said. “God willing, he will overcome them.”

He accused the United States and Israel of plotting against Assad's government in order to seize resources, saying: “Now they feel victory, the Americans, the Zionist regime and those who accompanied them.”

Iran and its armed proxies in the region have suffered a series of major setbacks over the past year, with Israel battering Hamas in Gaza and landing heavy blows on Hezbollah before they agreed to a ceasefire in Lebanon last month.

Khamenei denied that such groups were proxies of Iran, saying they fought because of their own beliefs and that Tehran did not depend on them. “If one day we plan to take action, we do not need proxy force,” he said.