Three former unsuccessful candidates in last year’s presidential election in Algeria have been sentenced to ten years in prison for corruption.
The case was over the illegal purchase of endorsements involving elected officials, their relatives, and business leaders.
The court upheld charges related to the illegal purchase of endorsements.
The case which was reported by the Sud-Ouest newspaper, highlights the persistence of clientelist practices within the Algerian electoral system, despite claims of reforms.
Saida Neghza, Belkacem Sahli, and Abdelhakim Hamadi, whose candidacies were rejected by the National Independent Election Authority, were found guilty of attempting to obtain signatures from elected officials for payment.
The prosecution had requested the same sentences, and the convicted persons have ten days to appeal. According to the authorities, more than 50 elected officials admitted to receiving between 20,000 and 30,000 Algerian dinars (approximately €140 to €200) to support certain algiercandidates.
In total, some 70 people are implicated in the case, including Saida Neghza’s children, local elected officials, and members of the General Confederation of Algerian Enterprises (CGEA), who were sentenced to prison terms ranging from five to eight years.
Then incumbent President Abdelmadjid Tebboune had won last year’s presidential vote.
SL/ac/Sf/fss/as/APA