PHOTOS : D. R.
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The Algiers court renewed, with one exception, the same sentences handed down during the first appeal trial, in March 2020. It sentenced the two former to 15 and 12 years in prison and a million dinars fine. Prime Ministers, Ahmed Ouyahia and Abdelmalek Sellal.
Ldisappointment and anger were read, this Thursday, on the faces of all the lawyers of the defendants in the case of the car assembly and the hidden financing of the electoral campaign for the 5e mandate of the deposed president Abdelaziz Bouteflika.
The defense of former senior officials and businessmen were almost convinced of the release of their constituents during this third trial.
Unfortunately, this was not the case. The Algiers court renewed, with one exception, the same sentences handed down in the second trial. She sentenced the two former prime ministers, Ahmed Ouyahia and Abdelmalek Sellal, to 15 years and 12 years in prison and a fine of one million dinars.
On the other hand, concerning the two ex-ministers of Industry, Youcef Yousfi and Mahjoub Bedda, the court has them exonerated from the charge of “corruption”, maintaining however the prison sentence of 3 years for the first and 2 years for the second and a fine of one million dinars each.
The former wali of Boumerdès, Yamina Nouria Zerhouni, was, for her part, exonerated of all the charges against her, although she had been sentenced to two years in prison during the appeal trial in March 2020, from even for Abdelkrim Mustapha, ex-executive of the Ministry of Industry, who was also acquitted and cleared of all charges, while Tira Amine, ex-executive and former chairman of the technical commission at the Ministry of Industry, was sentenced to 2 years in prison and a fine of one million dinars.
Regarding the businessmen involved in this case, the Algiers court retained 4-year prison sentences against Ali Haddad, Ahmed Mazouz and Hassan Arbaoui, and 3 years in prison against Mohamed Baïri, with maintenance of the fines imposed at first instance. That is to say a fine of one million dinars.
These businessmen also receive heavy additional fines in this appeal trial with 39 billion and 750 million centimes against Ahmed Mazouz, 87 billion and 827 million centimes against Hassan Arbaoui and 650 million dinars against Mohamed Bairi.
The three businessmen will also be subject to seizure of all their illegally acquired income, their bank accounts and their property. Abdelmalek Sellal’s son, Fares, was sentenced to two years in prison and a fine of one million dinars.
In addition, the penal chamber granted eight days to the defense of the accused to appeal against the judgments rendered.
Let us recall that the reopening of this case and the programming of a new trial at the Algiers court were decided after the admission, by the Supreme Court, of the cassation appeal of the defense of the accused.
On January 13, the prosecutor of the Algiers court, it should be noted, had requested 20 years in prison and a fine of one million dinars against Ouyahia and Sellal, and 15 years in prison against the former -Ministers of Industry Mahdjoub Beda and Youcef Yousfi and a fine of one million dinars each.
This Thursday, at the end of the verdict, Me Khader, Sellal’s lawyer, shows his disappointment “After the Supreme Court ruling, which was positive for us, we really hoped to see these men free. Today, we no longer know where to turn. The vision is not clear. I do not understand !” exclaims the lawyer. And to launch: “This is a political matter, because in law, the files of these defendants are empty.”
As defense attorney, Mr.e Khader says he believes in institutions and the rule of law, only his disappointment and that of his peers are today great. “But we are going to continue our fight, we are going to file appeals and if we have to go far, we will go, because this is nothing more or less a violation of human rights. We do not condemn Prime Ministers in this way and on such sensitive issues ”, note Me Khader.
All the defendants’ lawyers are awaiting the implementation of President Tebboune’s decision on the decriminalization of the management act. “This decriminalization will put an end to this kind of trial which harms Algeria”, say the lawyers.
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