French court refuses to extradite Albicia Bank’s former general director to Algeria

French justice refused to extradite former general director of “Albicia Bank,” a commercial and industrial bank Mohamed Ali Kharoubi who was sentenced to 10 years in prison with and an international arrest warrant against him in March 2007 under the so-called “Albicia Bank” trial.

• Reliable sources told Echorouk a court in Paris considered in extradition request of a bank’s main shareholder the last few days as well as its former local director in Oran. The court rejected the request claiming that there is no criminal nature in this case and classifying it under irregular trade in addition to the fact that the accused underwent a dangerous surgery. That summoned his defence to provide the court in Paris with a medical file expressing that the fleeing accused can not serve any punishment in one of Algerian prisons.
• French courts have already extradited two members of El Kharoubi’s family who own the bank to the justice authorities in Algeria after they had been arrested by the international judicial police “Interpol”.
• At the same time, Bir Mourad Rais court in Algiers adjourned for the third time the largest case of money laundery. Three members from Kharoubi’s family, owners of the commercial and industrial bank dissolved by the decision of the Algerian Bank n° 08/2003 of 21st August 2003 were accused with 11 others including well-known traders and industrialists in certain provinces in west of Algeria for transferring funds abroad and violating legislation and regulations concerning capital funds transfer.
• The case had been delayed this time due to the absence of the accused. He was transferred a week ago from Oran prison to Algiers, and then brought back one day before to attend the hearings. He also intended to pass the BAC exam, which led the judge to defer hearings until 6th next July.
• The 14 suspects’ case is related to hard currency funds transfer from Algerian Banks to French ones. Ahmed Kharoubi’s daughter named “KH.K” tried to open an account at “Angi Bank” of Paris by using two checks, one with 200 thousand Euros and the second’s value was estimated at 376,530 Euros. That happened in “PIA” bank of Paris but the French bankers rejected the two accounts’ opening she asked for.
• Judicial investigations proved that Ahmed Kharoubi signed a blank check on August 11th 2003 for his daughter, who identified it by 200 thousand Euros .They also confirmed that he called Ingy bank on August 27th 2003 to convert the value of 61 thousand Euros from the Algerian private bank “Trade and Industrial Bank” to his daughter’s bank account in “Kaidif bank.” His request was rejected by the commercial bank’s officials in August 21st 2003.
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