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Algeria court orders former ministers held over corruption allegations

6 August 2019
10504
2019-08-06 14:46

Algeria's supreme court ordered two former ministers to be taken into custody on Monday over suspected corruption under former president Abdelaziz Bouteflika, state television reported. The former public works and transport minister Abdelghani Zaalane and ex-labor minister Mohamed El Ghazi are the latest senior officials to be detained since protesters demanded earlier this year the prosecution of people involved in corruption and the departure of the ruling elite.

A judge at the supreme court ordered their detention over charges including "intentional waste of public property". Zaalane served as minister from May 2017 to March 2019. El Ghazi was in charge of the labor ministry from May 2014 to May 2017. Bouteflika ended his 20-year-rule on April 2 under pressure from the army and protesters.

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