In Algeria, more than $4,2 billion in ill-gotten gains from the Bouteflika era have been seized by the courts. The clean hands operation, overseen by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, is advancing by leaps and bounds.
In Algeria, the president has shown that he is making rapid progress in the fight against the corruption of senior state officials. After the resounding convictions of the former Minister of Industry Abdeslam Bouchouareb, currently on the run, it is the turn of Ali Haddad, the former boss of bosses, to be in the crosshairs of justice.
The latter's property, seized in recent weeks, is worth more than $4 billion.. In February, other businessmen saw their supposedly ill-gotten assets seized. They are Mahieddine Tahkout, boss of the TMC group and Sima Motors, and Hocine and Mansour Metidiji, leaders of the Metidji group, among others. Property belonging to the two former Prime Ministers Abdelmalek Sellal and Ahmed Ouyahia were also seized. With them, the former Ministers of Public Works Abdelkader Kadi and Amar Ghoul.
Since last year, Abdelmadjid Tebboune has also ordered the launch of the new National Body for the Prevention and Fight against Corruption (ONPLC). The latter, pre-existing and endowed with broader powers since 2020, was consecrated by the establishment of the High Authority for Transparency, Prevention and Fight against Corruption, which acts as the supervisory authority of the ONPLC.
Read: Algeria: is it possible to put an end to the corruption of civil servants?
The ONPLC has identified, since 2019, thousands of requests and referrals concerning petty corruption cases.
The revenge of Abdelmadjid Tebboune
Despite the criticism, therefore, the Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune is advancing in his operation to clean up the public administration, one of his electoral promises. But also a personal matter.
It should be remembered that the current Head of State of Algeria had been "punished" by the Old Regime because of his desire to fight against corruption. In 2017, he was appointed Prime Minister before being sacked and placed under house arrest after just over three months as prime minister.
The cause ? An audit of Ali Haddad's companies undertaken on the orders of Tebboune in July 2017. In particular, the Road, Hydraulic and Building Works Company (ETRHB Haddad). The latter was therefore seized last week.
In addition to the personal property of businessmen and state officials targeted by the ongoing legal proceedings, Abdelmadjid Tebboune therefore ordered the government to speed up the pace in order to bring factories and businesses back into the fold of the State.
Justice: Heavy indictments against#Ali_Haddad, #Amar_Ghoul et #Abdelkader_Ouali https://t.co/tNj3aTTygq via @The homeland news
- Homeland news (@lapatrienews) March 8, 2022