An Algerian court today sentenced 18-year-old businessman Ali Haddad, who is close to former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, in a corruption case in which former prime ministers and ministers were also tried, according to a defense lawyer.
Lawyer Khaled Burayo, the attorney of Haddad, stated that the court sentenced Ali Haddad to 18 years in prison and 4 years of his 5 brothers with all their property confiscated.
He added that the two former prime ministers, Abdel-Malek Sallal and Ahmed Ouyahia "condemned us to 12 years in prison."
Ali Haddad - the former president of the Association of Presidents ’Forum and owner of the largest group specializing in major roads and facilities and those with him - is being charged with“ obtaining massive deals from the government without respecting the laws ”,“ squandering public money, abuse of position, conflict of interests, and bribery in The field of concluding general deals. "
Ammar Ghoul was also sentenced to 10 years in prison, who held for 11 years the position of Minister of Public Works, and ranges between 2 and 5 years to 6 other former ministers, and 20 years to the former Minister of Industry Abdelsalam Bou Shawareb, who was tried in absentia. escape.
Borayo considered that the provisions are "of a prominent political nature," noting that "the defendants were members of the old system, and they were paying the price of the defeated."
Haddad has been in prison since March 2019, days before Bouteflika's resignation, and has been considered one of the campaign funders for 20 years of rule.
Previous provisions
He was previously sentenced to 4 years in prison in March in another corruption case with the two former prime ministers, Ahmed Ouyahia, who was convicted of 15 years, and Abd al-Malik Sallal, convicted of 12 years in that case.
And the Algerian court had recently sentenced Abdel Salam Bouchareb, former minister of industry in the era of Abdelaziz Bouteflika, to 20 years in prison, confiscating all his property and bank assets, issuing an international arrest warrant, and fining him two million dinars (more than 16 thousand dollars).
Bush Boarcraft has been on the run for more than a year.
Also, the court sentenced former Minister of Industry Youssef Youssef to 3 years in prison and a fine of one million dinars (more than $ 8,000).
It condemned the businessman Murad Aulami, the owner of the Suvac automobile factory, which was established in partnership with the German "Volkswagen" complex, and sentenced him to 10 years imprisonment.
Since Bouteflika's resignation on April 2, 2019, under street pressure; A legal campaign against his regime's officials and businessmen began.