Algeria / Financial scandal, involving a BNA Bank and a Tomato production factory, shortly before Justice.

Echorouk newspaper has learnt from reliable sources that the murky affair related to the selling, several years ago, of the tomato concentrate production factory “Essaâda” in the province of Tarf in eastern Algeria, is to be brought before Justice as early as next September 2008.

• This factory was sold in auction at a very low price to a still unnamed businessman who had earlier been granted a credit – line, through devious means, by the BNA local Bank of the city of Annaba.
• The auction turned into a tacit agreement in shady circumstances and the Essaâda factory changed ownership for just 20 billion centimes as its real value is estimated by experts at about 33 billion centimes.
• About 20 people accused of abuse of trust, bribery and embezzlement are to face trial shortly before the criminal court of Annaba which will determine the ins and outs of this financial scandal and punish the culprits accordingly.