East-west highway scandal: main accused on hunger strike
Photo: archive
Defense lawyers for the main suspect in the case of the “east-west highway”, Chani Majdoub, presented a cassation appeal before the Supreme Court, after their client’s was sentenced to imprisonment for 10 years by the Criminal Court at Algiers district council, while the main accused Chani, who has two nationalities, “Algerian and Luxembourg”, launched a hunger strike, after he already gave notice of it ahead of the verdict in his case.
Chani’s defense lawyer, Belarif Taib, told Echorouk, that he officially recorded a cassation before the Supreme Court in the judgment of Algiers Criminal Court on last May 7.
“My client is still insisting on his decision that he made before the sentencing, and he launched on Sunday a hunger strike for an indefinite period. My client’s position did not come from nothing, its cause are the various complaints that were lifted against him unlawfully and through the breach of procedures and laws in force.”
“My client was surprised with the opening of several lawsuits against him from one case, which is the “east-west highway”, which is a clear violation of the law, which states that a person can not continue the same facts twice. Investigating judge took advantage, in this context, the judicial behalf that was issued under investigation in the highway file, then Chani was pursued in the case of “Algerie Telecom”, and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. An issue that would be programmed shortly after accepting the cassation appeal at the Supreme Court, in front of Algiers judicial council, and in front of a new range. Another investigation was opened against Chani by the Court of Sidi M’Hamed in the proceedings concerning the “highway” case, in which he was tried in front of the Criminal Court , which is illegal and forced my client to make the decision to launch a hunger strike, after he lost hope in justice, especially that he was tortured and did not open an investigation about it after saving all complaints which he made.”
In a related context, the rest of the defendants who are convicted in the file along with Chani, including the main accused, Khelladi Mohamed, manager of the new projects’ agency, who was sentenced to ten years in prison, through the cassation appeal in the sentences that were handed down by the Criminal Court, before May 15, according to the law, which gives the defendants the right to appeal against the court sentences within eight days starting from the date of the judgment, and even the public prosecutor.
It should be noted that the trial of the accused in the case of “east-west highway” lasted eight days, and ended with provisions that varied between 7 and 10 years against the detained accused.