The trial of Abdelaziz Bouteflika, the brother of the former Algerian president, former intelligence chiefs and the head of a leftist party, ended on Monday evening.
State television reported that the first day of the trial was over, and resumed on Tuesday, describing it as "a precedent in the history of Algerian justice" without details on its status.
The defendants were brought before a military court in Blida, Said Bouteflika, who remained the strongman until his brother's resignation in April, former intelligence chief Mohamed Meddine, known as General Tawfik, and his successor, Bachir Tartak, and Labor Party leader Louisa Hanoune. My charges are "to prejudice the authority of the army and conspiracy against the authority of the state."
While police were deployed around the court, only lawyers and relatives of the accused were allowed to attend, and Mohamed Median's lawyer requested that the trial be postponed because his client's health was deteriorating.
The trial was held in closed session, the informal media were not allowed to cover, and no defendants made public statements about the charges.
Since the arrest of the four in May, the judiciary has launched a series of investigations on suspicion of corruption against political, military and business leaders accused of benefiting from their privileged links with Bouteflika circles.
On the other hand, the Supreme Court yesterday also ordered the imprisonment of the former Minister of Public Works and Transport Boudjemaa Tala'i, becoming the 11th former minister held by the authorities on corruption charges since the outbreak of the protests.
Street protests continue to demand the departure of all regime figures before the December 12 presidential election, as the army command wants.