Former Foreign Trade Officials Face Up to 5-Year Prison Over Corruption Case

Algiers —The Public Prosecutor at the Dar El Beida Court requested, on sunday, prison sentences ranging from four to seven years against the defendants present at trial, including former officials of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Export Promotion, as well as a number of business operators, in a sprawling corruption case involving the manipulation of import licences.

During a hearing the public prosecutor also sought a 10-year prison sentence for a fugitive defendant accused of participating in what investigators described as an “empire” built on influence peddling and illicit financial gain through manipulating the import licenses.

According to the prosecution, the defendants exploited their positions within the ministry to facilitate the approval of import authorization files by endorsing estimated import schedules. The scheme enabled numerous economic operators to secure permits to which they were not legally entitled, in exchange for commissions reportedly reaching 2.5 million Algerian dinars per intervention.

According ot the case details, the prosecutor requested a seven-year prison term for the principal defendant, a former ministry official accused of playing a central role in the operation. Four former executives and public servants from the same ministry face requested sentences of five years in prison.

In addition, the prosecutor requested four-year prison sentences for several business operators, including traders, importers, and private companies. The prosecution also sought a ten-year prison sentence for the fugitive defendant and requested that the existing arrest warrant against him remain in force. The charges include abuse of office, influence peddling, soliciting and accepting undue advantages, receiving improper benefits in exchange for granting unjustified privileges, and deliberately misusing official functions in violation of laws and regulations governing public administration.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Trade, acting as a civil party in the proceedings, has also demanded that the convicted defendants jointly pay compensation of 10 million Algerian dinars.

The investigation was launched following information received by the Investigation and Inquiry Service of the Regional Group of the National Gendarmerie concerning the suspicious activities of an organized network operating within the Ministry of Foreign Trade. The network was accused of manipulating import licencing system, orchestrated by a ministry employee who exploited the influence associated with her position, directly or indirectly, to facilitate the processing of import applications.

Investigators were able to gather evidence through a whistleblower who handed over the suspect’s mobile phone, equipped with two separate SIM cards, to the gendarmerie. The whistleblower stated that the phone contained information that could assist the investigation, noting that she used the WhatsApp application to receive files from economic operators.

Preliminary investigations suggested that the principal defendant was involved in facilitating the processing of raw-material importers’ files through the ministry’s digital platform.

Following the opening of a formal judicial investigation, gendarmerie officers obtained a warrant to search her residence and seize her mobile phone. During questioning, she admitted having intervened in approximately 30 to 40 cases since the platform’s launch. However, she denied receiving any financial compensation and maintained that her interventions were free of charge and were intended solely to assist colleagues, acquaintances and business operators seeking clarification about file statuses to complete administrative procedures.

She explained that the mediation process involved receiving estimated schedules via WhatsApp before forwarding them to the relevant departments to verify compliance with regulatory conditions before forwarding them for signature. She also claimed that her husband had stolen 42 million Algerian dinars that she had accumulated from selling her jewelry and from personal savings.

During the investigation, one of her friends confirmed that she had asked the defendant to intervene on behalf of the owner of a cheese production company in Koléa to clarify procedures for purchasing equipment and trucks through the platform, without any compensation.

However, technical investigations and analyses of messages and phone calls revealed different findings. One suspect stated that the employee demanded payments ranging between 2 million and 2.5 million Algerian dinars for each intervention.

During questioning, she was also confronted with evidence showing that she had transmitted five estimated schedules relating to companies located in Béjaïa, Oran, and Aïn Témouchent.

Investigators further discovered that she had purchased an apartment in the capital Algiers for 190 million Algerian dinars. They also suspected the involvement of a former ministry executive who allegedly assisted her in certain irregularities, including providing her with a phone SIM card that was not registered in her name despite being aware of the acts attributed to her. The court is expected to deliver its verdict at a later date.