Algeria: This Is What Liamine Zeroual Said About The Unveiled “Suspicious Meeting”

The judge dismissed the request of defendant Lt. Gen. Mohamed Mediène called “Toufik”, who called in former President Liamine Zeroual to testify in the “conspiracy” case, based on the court’s assessment of the testimony of the former president, recorded in the Blida’s military court records last May, as being unnecessary and unimportant.
This is related to Zeroual’s letter addressed to the Algerian people, after the March 30th meeting of the “suspicious meeting of the nefarious gang”.
The former President of the Republic, Liamine Zeroual, had confirmed that he had met with the former boss of the DRS, retired Lieutenant General Mohamed Mediène, known as Toufik, currently on trial before the Blida military court.
“I would like to inform you, for the sake of truth and transparency, that I received on Saturday, March 30, and at his request, the retired Lieutenant General Mohamed Mediène, who made me the proposal to chair a body responsible for conducting the transition.
He told me that this proposal had been made in agreement with Said Bouteflika, then adviser to the Presidency of the Republic,” Liamine Zeroual said in a letter to the local media.
“I expressed to my interlocutor namely Toufik my full confidence in the maturity of millions of demonstrators and the need not to hinder the march of the Algerian people, who have become masters of their own destiny,” he added, thus indicating his refusal to accept the proposal.
Zeroual added, “I expressed my full confidence in the millions of demonstrators as well as the need not to hinder the march of the people who regained control of their fate.” It is clear from this response that the former president rejected the proposal submitted to him by an adviser and brother of the former president.
“Like all Algerians, I felt very proud to have seen millions of Algerians demanding a democratic Algeria with enthusiasm, awareness and urging for a brand-new and fair system that honors the nation and gives Algeria and its people a dignified image of our historical aspirations,” Zeroual stressed.
Zeroual concluded his message by saying, “Today, in the face of the seriousness of the situation, the decision-makers must be wise and uplift the level of our people to avoid any damaging drift”.
On May 21, Liamine Zeroual testified before the military court in Blida as part of the thorough investigation into the case.
The charges brought against defendants namely Said Bouteflika, Mediène, Tartag and SG of the workers’ party Louiza Hanoune are heavy: “attacking the authority of the army”, punishable by five to ten years’ imprisonment, and “plotting against the authority of the State”, which may result in capital punishment.