Algeria court postpones Khalifa Bank case
A court in Blida postponed the Khalifa Bank case to another session due to be held on May 13th amid anger and dissatisfaction of six arrested suspects, Echorouk has learnt.
Five of the arrested will go on a hunger strike along with their mate who has not eaten for ten days. He is named Issir Idir, the director of the Local Development Bank’s agency in Staouali. He is in a serious health state. His mates are: Klimi Djamel, Chahoua Abdelhafid, Chachoua Baderddine, security officer at Khalifa Bank, Kechad Belaid, the director of Khalifa Bank’s agency in Blida and Mir Omar. They are afraid that authorities would disperse them to stop the strike.
The strikers ask for fixing a date for the session they have been waiting for five years. They had hope that it “would end their sufferance” after they had made pleas to the Higher Court.
“They think that authorities are not serious about the case as they postpone it,” an accused’s relative told Echorouk.
The strikers also ask for their release on bail until the trial. The wife of one of them died of cancer while another one was affected by the same disease and a third one suffers from heart problems.
Earlier on April 2nd, the court re-opened the case following a plea at the Higher Court. Attorney General announced that more than 300 witnesses and 75 accused were called in to appear in court.
The court decided in the case in March 2007. A total of 94 accused appeared in the court. Ten of them were sentenced in absentia as they were on the run including main suspect Abdelmoumene Khalifa.