Jurists: Return of Chakib Khalil to Homeland Does Not Contain a Legal Violation

Return of the former Energy and Mines Minister, Chakib Khalil, to Algeria, on Friday, does not contain any legal violation, which guarantees his right as any ordinary citizen who enjoys the presumption of innocence and has the right to return to homeland, lawyers said.

Chairman of Lawyers’ Organization of Sidi Bel Abbes (western Algeria), Mohamed Othmani, who was in the defence body for the former General Manager of Sonatrach, Mohamed Meziane, said the case was dealt with by Algiers criminal court recently, and in a legal point of view, the minister Chakib Khalil was not guilty.

“Justice is the only authority that can decide in this regard, and it is possible to hear , Chakib Khalil, on the issue of “Sonatrach 2″ in front of a competent judge of the Supreme Court, and in accordance with the procedures of judicial excellence, as he was a minister during the facts, to respond to what was attributed to him of the claims, then the case will be finally closed, by winning the absence of the lawsuit.”

“He may not be heard at all, because there is any judicial follow up against him officially, but through organizing a press conference to face the public opinion for self defence.”

For his part, the lawyer, Chaib Sadek, asserted that Chakib Khalil’s return to Algeria was normal because it is not followed by justice. Any accused person remains innocent until proving the guiltiness.