Two ex-ministers in Algeria sent to prison on corruption charges

Algeria’s Supreme Court on Thursday placed two former ministers in custody as part of a crackdown on corruption involving senior government officials and businessmen in the country.

The court in a statement said former Minister of Transport Amar Ghoul was remanded in custody over a probe related to the cases involving two businessmen.

The businessmen are Ali Heddad, former Chairman of the Employers Forum, and Mahieddine Tahkout, whose group dominates university transportation and owns the Hyundai car assembly plant.

The court said it heard the former Minister of Industry Mahdjoub Beda before he was sent to investigative custody on Thursday.

Beda is involved in the case of jailed businessman Hassan Arbaoui, the owner of KIA car assembly plant.

Some former senior government officials, including two Prime Ministers, Abdelmalek Sellal and Ahmed Ouyahia, were already placed under custody.

This series of probes coincide with popular protests in Algeria since February 22, as demonstrators denounced bad governance and corruption and called for democracy and the rule of law.

(Xinhua/NAN)

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