Khalifa case: Reopening of the file is waiting a political decision

At the time the British Interior Ministry decided to extradite the accused number one in the file of what is known as “the scandal of the century” Abdelmoumene Khalifa to Algeria, the fate of the accused in the “Khalifa case” remains obscure before the Criminal Court in Blida, and which awaits final decision since more than six years on the cassation with appeal before the Supreme Court.

After the postponement of the case on last April last indefinitely because of a miscarriage of justice in the proceedings, and the accused remain in custody awaiting a political decision to prosecute them.

Lawyer Khaled Borghoul said that the decision to deliver Khalifa to the Algerian Justice would disrupt the opening of the file, which returned after the cassation appeal again and its re- programming before the criminal court in Blida, saying: “It is quite possible that the criminal court did not include the issue of the defendants in its current sessions, and this is in anticipation of the impending date of Abdelmoumene Khalifa and his appearance in front of the Algerian justice.

“The problem arises in the existing laws so that law does not specify the Code of Criminal Procedure for the accused appearance before the court. It is possible that Abdelmoumene will appear as a witness in the case of the defendants who were tried and whose case returned after the cassation appeal, this is what was actually delivered, and if it happened it would be an opportunity for the accused to confront Abdelmouomene Khalifa as he is the key of the case”.

A number of lawyers told Echorouk, on the issue of programming the file of Khalifa case, that it is a pure political decision, because of what it will reveal about this trial, as well as to the fact that the witnesses include officials and well-known personalities in the State.