Trial Of Accused In “SPA Amanhid Complex” Case To Be Held Soon

The investigative judge, at the Fourth Chamber of the Economic and Financial Penal Pole of Sidi M’hamed (Algiers), referred to the scheduling department the corruption file related to the AMANHID “SPA AMANHID” complex, involving the Chalghoum brothers for Achievements, Irrigation and Environment Works, and the former Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal, the former Minister of Water Resources, Hussein Necib The former Sports Minister, Mohamed Hattab, along with the governors H.D., SH.Y., A.K., W.M. and a number of defendants.

The trial of the accused will be scheduled for the next few days.

The case file includes facts of a criminal nature related to the deals concluded between the company “AMANHID SPA” and the state. The said company obtained 28 projects, most of which are 25 projects in the period between 2012 and 2016, in which 16 deals were contracted with the Algerian Water Company “ADE” and the National Office of Irrigation and Drainage “ONID” with 12 deals with an initial total financial value of 7200 billion centimes.

Defendants were charged in the case with 15 heavy offenses included in the Anti-Corruption and Prevention Law 01/06, related to forming a group of villains, granting unjustified privileges, abuse of office, conflict of interests, abuse of influence, waste of public funds, sabotage and concealment of documents that would facilitate the search. In addition to charges related to felonies and misdemeanors, obvious negligence, employee complicity, handing over a license to a person who has no right to it, forging and using forged documents, making false statements, and taking pecuniary interests illegally.

Furthermore, the investigative judge, at the Fourth Chamber of the Economic and Financial Penal Pole, on September 27th 2021, informed the judicial expertise of the file of the “Amanhid SPA Complex”, of the Chalghoum brothers, summoning the accused and the defense as well as the civil parties.

On August 31, 2019, the same investigative judge also ordered the temporary detention of two of the owners of the “Amanhid” complex for irrigation works owned by the Chalghoum brothers and the director of water resources for the wilaya or province of Boumerdes, while four other owners of the same complex were placed under judicial supervision, and 20 other defendants were heard by the court in the same file.