Algeria Opens Trial Against Former Ministers of Industry, Investment on Corruption Charges

Former Minister for Privatization and Investment Promotion Abdelhamid Temmar. (Social media)
Former Minister for Privatization and Investment Promotion Abdelhamid Temmar. (Social media)
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Algeria Opens Trial Against Former Ministers of Industry, Investment on Corruption Charges

Former Minister for Privatization and Investment Promotion Abdelhamid Temmar. (Social media)
Former Minister for Privatization and Investment Promotion Abdelhamid Temmar. (Social media)

Two Algerian former ministers have gone on trial on serious corruption charges, according to lawyers.

The case involves former Minister of Industry Mohamed Benmeradi, former Minister for Privatization and Investment Promotion, Abdelhamid Temmar, and six other defendants.

Shortly after the start of their trial, Benmeradi’s lawyers requested to postpone the session until September 26, stating they required time to review the file more carefully and prepare the pleas.

The judge accepted their request, but he stressed that the trial “will take place next time, whatever the conditions.”

Benmeradi, 70, was placed in pretrial detention two years ago, while Temmar, 73, had left the country years ago after he stepped down from the government during the rule of late President Abdelaziz Bouteflika from 1999 to 2019.

A ruling was issued for his arrest. An international arrest warrant is expected to be issued against him after the Algerian court pronounces its final verdict.

Algerian laws prohibit the appointment of lawyers for defendants residing abroad, even if they are not fugitives.

Benmeradi, Temmar and the other defendants are accused of several misdemeanors, including granting privileges and credits, squandering public funds and exploiting their positions.

They are also accused of mismanagement of the “Public Corporation for Industrial Construction and Civil Engineering,” and of concluding illegal deals, with the aim of obtaining special privileges and benefits.

A judicial inquiry into the company's management reported that in the early 2000’s, attempts were made when Temmar was still in office to sell the Public Corporation for Industrial Construction and Civil Engineering “outside the legal framework” to a Belgian company specializing in construction and public works.

Al-Shorouk newspaper had previously described Temmar as “the architect who destroyed private institutions.”

Dozens of prominent civilian and military officials have been imprisoned by the authorities over corruption allegations.

They include former Prime Ministers Noureddine Bedoui, Ahmed Ouyahia, Abdelmalek Sellal and former chief presidential advisor, Said Bouteflika, the once-powerful brother of the former president, in addition to former intelligence chiefs, Generals Bachir Tartag and Wassini Bouazza, and dozens of high-ranking officers.



Top Houthi Leaders Flee Sanaa Amid Trump-Ordered US Strikes

Top Houthi leaders disappear from Sanaa, communication cut off (Houthi Media)
Top Houthi leaders disappear from Sanaa, communication cut off (Houthi Media)
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Top Houthi Leaders Flee Sanaa Amid Trump-Ordered US Strikes

Top Houthi leaders disappear from Sanaa, communication cut off (Houthi Media)
Top Houthi leaders disappear from Sanaa, communication cut off (Houthi Media)

Senior Houthi leaders have disappeared from public life in Sanaa, gripped by fear of US airstrikes ordered by President Donald Trump, now entering their third week, sources in Yemen said.

The first-tier leadership of the Iran-aligned group is believed to have fled the capital, which remains under Houthi control, seeking shelter in remote areas of Saada and Amran provinces.

According to informed sources, the group’s leaders have severed traditional communication channels and several have either gone into hiding or relocated to undisclosed locations as a precaution against possible targeted strikes.

Since the launch of US airstrikes on March 15, senior and mid-level Houthi leaders have vanished from public view and social media platforms, Yemeni sources say, as fear of targeted attacks continues to grow within the group’s ranks.

Informed sources confirmed there has been no trace of the group’s top two tiers of leadership - neither in the institutions under Houthi control in Sanaa, nor on the streets and neighborhoods they once frequented in luxury vehicles.

Even the sectarian events that Houthi leaders were known to regularly attend have reportedly gone on without their visible presence.

The Houthi group has remained tight-lipped about the extent of its human and military losses following US airstrikes ordered by Trump.

However, sources say several leaders not belonging to the ruling family of Houthi leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi are still believed to be in Sanaa.

Many of these figures have adopted strict security measures to avoid detection, including travelling in vehicles with tinted windows and covering their faces with cloaks when leaving temporary residences, sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.

The precautions reflect growing fears of betrayal or being targeted by further strikes.

A source in Sanaa revealed that third-tier Houthi officials—mostly tribal figures and field supervisors—were instructed to flee to the northern provinces of Saada, Amran and other areas as US air raids intensified.

According to the source, mid-level Houthi officials have lost all direct contact with the group’s senior leadership after the latter switched locations and shut down their communication lines.