CORRUPTION — The Algerian justice will begin, in the coming days, the procedure of confiscation of all property of the former Minister of National Solidarity, Djamel Ould Abbes.
This decision comes after the Supreme Court dismissed the cassation appeal filed by the defendant’s defense in a corruption case linked to the squandering and embezzlement of funds for victims of terrorism during the black decade.
Thus, the Supreme Court confirmed the verdict rendered by the 6th Criminal Chamber of the Court of Algiers, on November 28, 2022, and in which it condemned the former Minister to a sentence of four (4) years in prison accompanied by a fine of four (4) million dinars (400 million centimes).
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The verdict also relates to the confiscation of the movable and immovable property of Ould Abbes, as well as the bank account balances that he had not declared in the first case of corruption in which he was implicated.
The Supreme Court of Algiers confirms the final sentence of Ould Abbes to 2 prison terms
The Supreme Court of Algiers has confirmed the final sentence of Djamel Ould Abbes to two prison sentences of 6 years and 4 years.
As a reminder, the Supreme Court had previously rejected a first appeal in cassation that the defense of Djamel Ould Abbes had introduced for his involvement in the scandal of the manipulation of FLN electoral listsduring the legislative elections of 2017. In this case, the justice sentenced the former secretary general of the party to 6 years in prison.
By rejecting, last weekend (March 25, 2023), the appeal in cassation in the corruption case which concerns “the squandering and embezzlement of public funds” intended for victims of terrorism, the country’s supreme court confirms the two sentences from prison (6 years and 4 years) pronounced against the former Minister of Solidarity. These therefore become final..
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During the trial of the first corruption case, Djamel Ould Abbes did not declare his property or his bank accounts. Therefore, justice has issued no order of confiscation of the property of the former minister. However, the public prosecutor at the economic and financial penal pole of the court of Sidi M’hamed (Algiers) discovered the feint after the opening of the second file.
Villa, private clinic, sums in euros and dollars: list of some of the undeclared assets of the former Minister of Solidarity
To justify the non-declaration of his property, Ould Abbes invoked ignorance of the law!
Over the course of investigations and rogatory commissions, it turned out that Ould Abbes had refused to declare possession of a villaof a 16-room private clinic and a chalet by the sea. Added to this are the sums of money that investigators found in the deposit boxes of the Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (BADR).
These are 7 envelopes containing respectively: 26 $200 bills; 660 $100 bills; 84 €200 notes; 50 €100 notes; 162 €100 notes; 33 €500 notes; 410 million centimeters (DA) and a precious watch. These sums represent a total of 71 200 $, 54 500 € et 4.1 million DA (i.e. nearly 22 million DA in all).
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Moreover, after his confrontation with the facts, Djamel Ould Abbes confessed to the judge of the third chamber of the economic and financial penal pole to be the owner of all these goods. As for the reason for their non-declaration, the former minister replied: “I admit, Mr. President, that I did not declare my assets and I apologize for that. I did not know, I didn’t know the law “. Here then…
For its part, the defense of Ould Abbes decided to file a request for accumulation of sentences and releaseof his client in view of his age and poor state of health.
