Algerian Generals To Be On Trial On September 23
Blida Military Court (western Algiers) programmed the trial of the seven defendants in the case of “conspiracy which aimed at prejudice against the authority of a military squad leader” and “conspiracy to change the regime” on 23 September, after the military investigating judge referred the case file on Sunday (September 8th) to the scheduling section with informing Defense of the defendants, Said Bouteflika (the brother of former president, Abdelaziz Bouteflika), the former head of intelligence, General Mohamed Mediene, named “Toufik”, Bachir Tartag, former coordinator of intelligence and security, and Louisa Hanoune, Secretary-General of the Workers Party and the retired Major General Khaled Nezzar, his son Lotfi and his assistant charged with his business, and the neighbour of Said Bouteflika, a mediator between them, Farid Ben Hamdine.
The military investigating judge, according to what was published by Echorouk, on Thursday, has decided to close the case file on Thursday, September 5, to be referred to the scheduling section at the beginning of the following week, after expanding the list of defendants in the case to include seven people, and he decided before that, on August 3, not to refer the case of “conspiracy to undermine the authority of the commander of a military squad”, “conspiracy to change the regime” for the emergence of new evidence of the former Defense Minister, Major General, Khaled Nezzar and his son Lotfi, the director of the company SLC “Smart Link Communications”, and the man in charge of the business of Khaled Nezzar and the neighbor of Said Bouteflika, who was a mediator between them, Farid Ben Hamdine.
The case file was closed on Thursday, September 5, after the completion of all legal procedures that are related to the “total interrogation” and “confrontation” between the parties to the case, which began with four defendants last May, to become seven defendants in last August.
According to Echorouk sources, when the military investigating judge closed the case file and referred it to the scheduling department, he did not drop any charges against the defendants, but the two charges were proved.
“The first charge relates to the crime of conspiracy aiming to prejudice the authority of the commander of a military formation, the act is prescribed and punishable by article 284 of the Military Justice Law and their sentence is from 5 to 10 years in prison.”
“The second charge is the conspiracy to change the regime, an act that is punishable by article 77 of the Penal Code and their sentence is death penalty”.