Algeria... Imprisonment of 3 "influencers" for defrauding students to study in Ukraine

On Thursday, an Algerian court sentenced three of the most influential social media influencers to one year in prison, accused of participating in defrauding 75 students who paid to study in Ukraine before the Russian invasion.

According to local media, the Casablanca court in the eastern suburb of Algiers has convicted the influential, Nomidia Lazoul, Farouk Boujemlene, known as "Rivka" and Mohamed Aberkan, known as "Stanley", with a penalty of "one year in prison and a fine of 100,000 dinars (about 650 euros)."

It is the same punishment that the prosecution demanded during the trial that took place on June 9 and 10, after more than five months of temporary detention for the accused and several postponements.

The three were accused of participating in fraud through paid advertisements they made through their accounts on social networking sites followed by millions of young people for the benefit of a marketing company for study in Ukraine, Russia and Turkey, the prosecution said at the start of the case in January.

The advertisements stated that the company undertakes all study procedures by providing visas, tickets and registration at the university, but the 75 victims were surprised upon their arrival in Ukraine that their visas did not allow them to study, while many students were not allowed to enter the country.

The court convicted the main defendant, the owner of the travel company, Razaki Osama, to seven years in prison and fined him one million dinars (6,500 euros). His mother and his partner, a former member of Parliament, were also convicted of one year in prison.

The case received a great response on social media and in the media, due to the great fame of the accused and sympathy with the student victims.

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