International arrest warrant against Chakib Khalil neglected
Chakib Khalil, Algeria's former energy minister. Photo: archives
Mystery still continues in the judicial charge against the former Energy Minister, Chakib Khalil, in the case of “Sonatrach”, after a full year of the issuance of an international arrest warrant against him and that was announced by the Attorney General of Algiers judicial council, Belkacem Zegmati, which was released at that time in accordance with the wrong procedures, what needed correction of the arrest warrant, which is marred by other mysteries in time Chakib Khelil’s name was not included in the last list of the most-wanted by INTERPOL.
After a full year of the issuance of an arrest warrant against Chakib Khalil, and opening an investigation into the so-called issue of “Sonatrach 02” by the Public Prosecutor of Algiers Criminal Court, the name of Chakib Khalil was not included in the list of the most wanted, as the name of Farid Bedjaoui appeared in the wanted list, and that includes the names of other Algerians like Mokhtar Belmokhtar and Anouar Haddam and others.
This list was actualized and it confirms that actions has not yet been taken to correct the wrong arrest warrant against Chakib Khalil, and that was issued against him by the investigative judge of the pole criminal court, as it was supposed according to the Criminal Procedure Code that assigned a judge adviser to the Supreme Court to investigate and issue an arrest warrant against him as he was the minister at the time of the facts and should be followed according to the judicial proceedings privilege.
In context, Ibrahim Bahlouli, a lawyer who is accredited to the Supreme Court, told Echorouk, that if there were actually correction procedures of the arrest warrant during this year that have noticed the opening of the investigation in the case of “Sonatrach 02”, it should have been directly realized according to the established procedures like circulating the warrant in airports and sending it immediately to “Interpol” to become valid on the pronunciation day or after being edited by the competent judge of the Supreme Court”;
“It is unreasonable that the correction procedures need all this time, as it was supposed to publish his name immediately on the list of wanted, just as happened with Farid Bedjaoui who is accused in the same case and who is wanted by the Italian justice, as well as the Algerian justice. The issue of Chakib Khalil’s arrest warrant still poses a lot of questions, especially in light of recent statements by some politicians about being not guilty. “