Lawyer: these are the reasons behind non-extradition of Chakib Khalil

Charges against Algeria’s former energy minister Chakib Khalil are not considered as crimes in the US. Because of that, he can not be extradited to Algiers, according to Ouardia Nasroune, a professor at the University of Algiers and a former lawyer.

Khalil is accused of receiving bribes in return for granting deals.

The specialist believes that this is not considered as a crime in the US. Washington did not sign the Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials.

She said there is a determined assessment of unjustified advantage. Because of that, it is not criminalized by the US law makers.

“The non-criminalisation of unjustified advantage concretises the concept of easy payment. This means a foreign official can act by this way to keep the deal. This helps the suspect to not be punished if he runs away abroad,” she said.

“In this case, the US law makers criticise the suspect’s home country for not defending its economy,” she added.

Having an American nationality is another reason behind the non-extradition of Khalil. The US laws forbid the extradition of American nationals to other countries to be trialled.

The former lawyer also said the third reason is the non-validity of an arrest warrant for the minister issued by a court in Algiers.