Abdelmalek Sellal, who was Prime Minister of Algeria in the period 2012-2017, has been sentenced, in a judgment of the Supreme Court, to 39 years in prison for the crimes of abuse of function, corruption, embezzlement in the award of public contracts and seeking «advantages» to businessmen related to former President Bouteflika, for which his chief of staff has also been convicted at that time, Mustapha Rahiel. Sellal, 73, must serve at least 12 years in prison.

One of the main issues is the controversial «car assembly factory project», which has cost the Algerian public treasury some €975 million. He is also accused of embezzling €52 million during his tenure as Bouteflika’s campaign manager, and has been convicted of money laundering and transferring funds of criminal origin, in complicity with the former director general of the State Residence, Hamid Melzi, known as the Bouteflika regime’s «black box».

FUENTE: Le Jeune Afrique, 02/12/2021. https://www.jeuneafrique.com/1275512/politique/algerie-lex-premier-ministre-abdelmalek-sellal-condamne-a-39-ans-de-prison/