Algeria: A Second Trial Is Pending For Said Bouteflika, Tewfiq, Tartag And Hanoune

The Military Appeals’ Court formally referred the case of conspiracy to deal a blow to the authority of the ANP army and conspiracy against the authority of the state to a forthcoming session scheduled for next week.

Reliable sources revealed to “Echorouk”, that the President of the Military Appeals Board, last week transferred the case file to the scheduling section, where the defense of the four defendants lodged an appeal last 26 September, that is , only a day after the verdict in the case of felony conspiracy in order to deal a blow to the authority of the army and conspiracy against the state authority, involving defendants Said Bouteflika, General Tewfiq General Tartag, and the Secretary-General of the Workers’ Party Louisa Hanoune.

The latter were sentenced to 15 years in prison, and another heavy verdict was also handed down against other defendants including former Defense Minister General Khaled Nezzar and his son Lotfi Nezzar and businessman Farid Ben Hamdine.

According to the same sources, the Military Court’s Scheduling Section will reorganize the case next week with a new composition of the tribunal.

The defendants will be officially retried this month, in accordance with Articles 284 of the Military Justice Law and Articles 77 and 78 of the Penal Code by the relevant Military Court.

Last September 25, the court issued a 15-year sentence against Said Bouteflika, General Tewfik and General Tartag, and General Secretary of the Workers’ Party Louisa Hanoune, and a 20 year sentence for Khaled Nezzar, Lotfi Nezzar and Farid Ben Hamdine for the acts attributed to them in absentia.
In keeping with the Code of Military Justice, and even the Code of Criminal Procedure, according to lawyer Farouk Ksentini, if the previous sentence is upheld, i.e., a 15-year sentence against the four defendants, namely Said Bouteflika, Tewfiq, Tartag, and Hanoune, the latter are entitled to not accepting the verdict by referring it to the High Appeals’ Court.