Conspiracy against army, state: Algeria acquits Bouteflika’s brother, ex-intelligence chiefs

BY: Hana Saada 

After two weeks of the Supreme Court’s indictment Chamber’s overturning of the verdict of the military court of justice in Blida, the appeal trial involving Saïd Bouteflika, Mohamed Mediène, aka General Toufik, Athmane Tartag and Louisa Hanoune opened.

NOURNEWS/ALGIERS - The appeal trial of the Said Bouteflika, who was a key figure among Algeria's leadership until his brother President Abdelaziz Bouteflika was deposed in April 2019 following pro-democracy protests, along with two former intelligence chiefs, namely; retired Lieutenant General Mohamed Mediène and Major General  Athmane Tartag as well as a political party head Louisa Hanoune was opened, today, Saturday, January 02nd , 2021, at the military court in the first military district in Blida, South of the capital Algiers.

After two weeks of the Supreme Court’s indictment Chamber’s overturning of the verdict of the military court of justice in Blida, the appeal trial involving Saïd Bouteflika, Mohamed Mediène, aka General Toufik, Athmane Tartag and Louisa Hanoune opened.

In its verdict, the military court of Blida pronounced the acquittal for all the accused.

On November 18, the Supreme Court decided to overturn the first judgments handed down by the Blida military court, and to reschedule the trial at the same court, with a new component of magistrates.

The defendants were prosecuted for “acts committed in a military enclosure qualified by law as crimes of conspiracy intended to undermine military authority and conspiracy against the authority of the State, facts provided for and punished respectively by Article 284 of the Code of Military Justice and Articles 77 and 78 of the Criminal Code “.

Earlier, the military appeal court confirmed 15-year jail sentences against two former intelligence chiefs and a brother of former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika for “conspiring against the army and the state authority.”

Mohamed Mediene and Athmane Tartag, along with Said Bouteflika, have been in detention since May 2019, after the popular Hirak broke out demanding the departure of the ruling elite and the prosecution of people involved in corruption.

The appeal court in Blida, also, handed a nine-month jail sentence to Louisa Hannoune, leader of the Workers Party, who was given 15 years in prison in a first instance sentence in September.

Noting that Said Bouteflika served as adviser to his brother, President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, while Lieutenant General Mediene, known as General Toufiq, assumed the position of the director of intelligence services, Major General Tartag was the coordinator of security services at the presidency of the republic, and Hanoune was the secretary general of the Workers Party.

Algeria has jailed two prime ministers, several ministers and prominent businessmen and tycoons over corruption charges since the demonstrations erupted on Feb. 22. Protesters, young and old, men and women from all walks of life, indeed, remained in the streets every Friday re-appropriating long confiscated public spaces and calling for the overhaul of the whole system and the sweeping away of the remnants of Bouteflika’s inner circle, viewed as corrupt. They have directed drawing rage at the political elite they blame driving the country to a political deadlock and economic collapse.

Subsequently, a poll was organized on Dec 12, 2020, resulting in the election of Abdelmadjid Tebboune who snatched 58.15% of the vote, trouncing his four fellow contenders. He won Algeria’s decisive presidential election without the need for a second-round runoff, replacing the long-serving president Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

Tebboune, for his part, expressed determination, on his swearing-in ceremony, to meet all the protesters’ demands with a view to ending the political blockage.