New Directorate to Dry Up Sources of Public Funds Embezzlement

A new General Administration Directorate has been officially established within the Central Office for the Suppression of Corruption, by decision of the Minister of Justice, Keeper of the Seals, Lotfi Boudjemaa. This step confirms the Algerian state’s transition to a more stringent phase in countering corruption.

According to Echorouk sources, the new directorate is tasked with providing the necessary material, moral, and human resources for investigations, as well as direct practical support to judicial services, enabling them to complete investigations with greater precision and effectiveness. This decision aims to strengthen coordination with the Ministry of Finance, close the loopholes for manipulation of public funds, and link the fight against corruption to the state’s economic and political reform process.

According to details obtained by Echorouk, Minister of Justice, Keeper of the Seals, Lotfi Boudjemaa, appointed Said Hamdani as the new Director of the General Administration Directorate of the Central Office for the Repression of Corruption, pursuant to a presidential decree dated July 30, 2025. Hamdani had previously served as Director of Studies at the same body for more than 12 years. This appointment will strengthen the office with material and human resources to support its fieldwork. It will also provide renewed impetus for continued research and investigations in the field of combating corruption crimes and various forms of crimes that harm the national economy and public funds, as well as money smuggling and laundering abroad.

The General Administration Directorate is placed under the authority of the Director General. It is divided into several sub-directorates, as defined in Article 17 of Presidential Decree 426-11, amending and complementing the duties of the General Administration Directorate, which states the following:

The General Administration Directorate is responsible for managing the Office’s employees and its financial and material resources. The latter consists of two directorates. The first is the Human Resources Sub-Directorate, which comprises three offices: the Office for the Management and Follow-up of Office Personnel Subject to Disposal; the Office for Training, Examinations, and Competitions; and the Office for Organisation, Legal Disputes, and Social Activities.

As for the second sub-directorate, its mandate includes budget, accounting, and means. It is also composed of three offices: the Office of Budget Estimates and Public Procurement, the Office of Accounting and Budget Operations, and the Office of Management of Means and Archives.

It is well known that the Central Office for the Suppression of Corruption has been waging a fierce war against corruption since 2019, and has emerged as an iron arm to embody the will of the state and its decisive strength in striking at the hands of the corrupt and corruptors, through extensive investigations and inquiries into sensitive files that have resulted in the downfall of big heads, and thrown many ministers, officials and businessmen into prison, who were convicted with heavy sentences of up to 20 years, such as Said Bouteflika and the two former prime ministers Ahmed Ouyahia and Abdelmalek Sellal, and the former ministers Abdeslam Bouchouareb, Djamel Ould Abbas, Said Barkat, Tayeb Louh, Amar Ghoul and others, and dozens of officials from public and private institutions.