UK home office to transfer Khalifa case to foreign office

UK Home office will transfer the dossier of the former Algerian billionaire Rafik Abdelmoumene Khalifa to foreign office to decide in his case after a court had approved his extradition, Echorouk has learnt from sources at the home office.

• Khalifa’s lawyers did not reveal any details about the case. They are expected to appeal against the decision before the allowed legal period of four months.
• International law experts told Echorouk the contradiction between the extradition, the international convention on human rights and holding a fair trial will be the corner stone in the next “legal battle” between the defence of the Algerian authorities and Khalifa.
• Khalifa was convicted in absentia to life in prison for criminal association, corruption, abuse of trust, and forgery in Algeria in 2007.
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• ‘Algeria should ask for extradition of all wanted suspects’
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• Lawyers of suspects in the Khalifa Bank case said the Algerian justice should call on foreign countries to extradite all the wanted after a UK court approved the extradition of Khalifa.
• They say the Algerian justice must ask for the extradition of Algeria Bank’s former commissioner Abdenour Keramane and his brother the former industry minister Abdelouahab with his daughter.
• Lawyer Zubeir Allouche told Echorouk the UK law allows Khalifa to appeal against the decision at the UK high court. “That would take time.”
• “The requests which will be presented at the high court will be the same as the ones presented at the first instance court in London. It will up to the UK high court to decide in the extradition,” the lawyer said.
• “If the high court approved the extradition, Khalifa will be deported to Algeria. Then, he will appear in court because the law allows him to reject the judgment pronounced against him in absentia,” he added.
• Earlier, a court in Blida (west of Algiers) sentenced Khalifa to life in prison provided he is in Algeria as a main condition so that he would reject the judgment.
• Lawyer Djilali Hamani said Khalifa will apeear in court if he is extradited to Algeria.
• “If Abdelmoumene Khalifa is extradited to Algeria, he will be allowed to sue the Khalifa Bank’s staff because he employed them to work at the bank but they cheated him,” he added.