Algeria: culture minister sues workers’ leader

Algerian culture minister Nadia Laabidi Thursday filled a lawsuit against the leader of Workers’ Party Louisa Hanoune for defamation in response to the latter who accused her of corruption and public money squandering.

The culture minister denied all the accusations and defied Hanoune to go to justice. “I am an honest person. There is no evidence to confirm the accusations,” she told Parliament.

The party also alleged that Laabidi allowed the US embassy in Algiers to use a room in the National Theater in return for a scholarship in the US for her son. The embassy denied that.

“I am sorry to see that debate and dialogue has gone down to this low level along with verbal violence away from moral and respect principles,” Laabidi said in a letter read by her director of staff Nouredine Othmani.