Said Bouteflika, Former Protocol Director And Ministers Embroiled In New Corruption File

The economic and financial penal pole at the Court of Sidi M’hamed in Algiers opened a heavy corruption file that bore the names of 17 former state officials, including the brother of former President namely Said Bouteflika, the former Presidential Protocol’s director, Mokhtar Rakik, as well as former and current ministers and governors, suspected of being involved in granting concessions and concluding illicit deals by wasting public money and receiving bribes in favor of detained businessman Tarek Kouninef, who was close to former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

In the details of the investigation file, which is in the hands of the investigating judge of the Third Chamber of the Economic and Financial Pole, under No. 158/20, the largest number of accused persons, including ministers, and senior officials are facing serious charges, as the defendants are legally pursued in the file of businessman Kouninef Nawa Tarek, who was convicted to 15 years in prison.

Heavy charges were brought against them, included in the Anti-Corruption and Prevention Law 01/06, such as misdemeanors of granting privileges and credits, concluding illicit deals, tax exemptions, squandering public money and receiving bribes.

Among the other defendants stand, Abdelmalek Sellal in his capacity as Prime Minister and Chairman of the State Contributions Council, and Abdelhamid Tamar as Minister of Contributions and Investment Promotion, Bouchouareb Abdel Salam as Minister of Industry and Mines, and Ammar Tou as Minister of Post and Technologies Information and Communication, in addition to Feraoun Houda Imène, who was on the date of the facts, exercising the duties and function of the Minister of Post and Information and Communication Technologies.

For his part, Ammar Ghoul is following up in the case as Minister of Transport together with Hocine Necib as Minister of Water Resources, and a current minister who, on the date of the facts, was exercising the duties of the president and general manager of the Engineering Company for Electricity and Gas, as well as the current Minister of Water Resources, Arezki Baraki, and Loukal Mohammad who was at the date of the facts exercising the functions of the president and general manager to the External Bank of Algeria, before assuming the duties of the Governor of the Bank of Algeria and then the portfolio of Minister of Finance.

On the other hand, the former wali or governor of the province of Algiers, Abdelkader Zoukh, and the two former governors of the eastern province of Jijel, “Ali. Badrissi” and “Far. Bachir”, are also involved in the corruption case.

The Kouninef brothers have benefited from several projects and deals in various sectors, including irrigation, energy, mining and transport sectors, as well as in the field of Algeria Telecom Corporation, which exceeded billions.

The said defendants have grabbed a number of public institutions that the state has privatized without even operating them and fulfilling their obligations, while receiving huge financial compensations and clearing the debts of their companies in a suspicious manner, as well as securing the completion of many hospitals, especially military ones, as well as dams, ports and other major projects related to the field of import and export.