Lebanese Contractor Fled Algeria After Robbing DZD 10 Billion From The Foreign Ministry

A scandal that had been kept secret for years erupted in the Foreign Ministry workers’ cooperative after the escape of a Lebanese contractor, who was tasked with building a housing program for the ministry’s frames and staff, taking with him about DZD 10 billion (100 billion centimes) of the money that was paid to him.

According to the information that is available to Echorouk, the case started in 2012, although the foreign workers’ cooperative has kept the file secretive for many years but the subscribers in its housing program pressurized for the truth of the project’s stoppage despite paying billions of dinars, which prompted the cooperative recently to break its silence and announce the escape of the Lebanese contractor with all the money of the subscribers and hence started a new scandal and a shock to the subscribers (employees of the ministry).

In 2012, when the Foreign Ministry announced the launching of housing projects for hundreds of employees on Al Mouradia floor with a total area of more than 4000 square meters and another one in Kolea, it obliged subscribers who were wishing to acquire their houses to pay five million dinars, or 500 million centimeters, in their home bank account at the Bank of Algeria at the agency of Algiers “St. George” Hotel, as an initial payment of the value of the housing estimated at one billion and six hundred million centimes.

The Foreign Ministry’s cooperative received all the funds through its account and transferred them for the benefit of the Lebanese contractor. However, after years of waiting, the two projects did not move, which led the subscribers to pressurize the cooperative, which in turn contacted him dozens of times, but the latter fled with all the looted funds abroad to keep the question on how about the amount of more than seven million dollars abroad (100 billion centimeters).

In the face of this situation, the subscribers of the Foreign Ministry and the staff decided to sue and bring each other back to justice to recover their dues.

The decision ended in their favor, as Algiers Bir Mourad Rais court was committed to paying the first installment to each subscriber, estimated at 500 million, in addition to 100 million centimes in compensation for the damage, according to a court ruling, which copy is available to Echorouk.

However, to this day, the cooperative did not apply the judgment of Algiers Bir Mourad Rais Court and did not pursue any prosecutions against the Lebanese contractor to retrieve the looted funds, and the case remains pursued.