In a series of legal twists and turns, former ministers Abdeslam Bouchouareb and Chakib Khelil, fleeing abroad, managed to avoid detention in Algeria. Despite this, Algeria maintains the pressure, engaged in procedures aimed at bringing them to justice. The Algerian authorities requested help from Switzerland in this matter, leading to divergent decisions concerning each of them.
According to the Swiss information site “SWISSINFO.CH”, the Algerian authorities have issued requests for mutual legal assistance to Switzerland for Abdeslam Bouchouareb and Chakib Khelil. In March 2020, the Swiss ambassador in Algiers announced his country’s willingness to cooperate on embezzled funds. Bouchouareb was the subject of a request in June 2020, but his residence remains uncertain. Switzerland, as a major banking center, revised its legislation in 2016 to facilitate judicial cooperation.
Former Minister of Industry, Bouchouareb is the main accused in the anti-corruption trials linked to the 2019 Hirak and the fall of Bouteflika. Despite cumulative sentences exceeding a century in prison, the Algerian justice system has failed to locate him despite several international arrest warrants. Switzerland responded positively to the Algerian request regarding Bouchouareb in 2020, signaling potential progress in the return of funds.
In December 2021, the Algerian Ministry of Justice issued 150 letters rogatory to trace the misappropriated funds. A year later, Minister Abderrachid Tabbi announced the seizure of property worth $20 billion inside the country. He highlighted the success of Algerian efforts, persuading several foreign countries to cooperate in the recovery of assets.
Chakib Khelil case: an “Inadmissible” case for Switzerland
The same source specifies that the Algerian request concerning Chakib Khelil was deemed “inadmissible” by Switzerland. Former Minister of Energy and ex-CEO of Sonatrach, Khelil, sentenced to 20 years in prison in absentia last January, reportedly resides in the United States. The Swiss request, initiated in May 2021, was rejected by the Federal Office of Justice (FOJ) due to shortcomings in its compliance with Swiss law.
Despite reported successes, Algeria faces challenges in its international cooperation efforts. Switzerland ruled the request regarding Khelil inadmissible, highlighting the strict requirements of Swiss law. Swiss authorities requested additional information from Algeria in June 2021, which has remained unanswered so far, creating potential obstacles to continued cooperation.
Indeed, according to the same Swiss media, which quotes a spokesperson for the Federal Office of Justice: “This request for mutual legal assistance, unfortunately, does not meet the admissibility requirements of Swiss law, which means that the request does not can be transmitted for the time being to the requested authority for execution. This is why the Federal Office of Justice sent a request for additional information to the requesting authority on June 7, 2021. Since then, the Federal Office of Justice has sent several reminders to the competent Algerian authority which have unfortunately remained unanswered.”
The flight of former ministers Bouchouareb and Khelil underlines the complexity of corruption cases in Algeria. Despite progress in recovering embezzled funds, legal obstacles, particularly in Switzerland, show that the path to justice remains strewn with pitfalls. Algeria continues its efforts to bring those responsible to justice, but the outcome of these international cases remains uncertain.
