The verdict fell this morning in the case of former Minister of Culture Khalida Toumi. Several former culture sector officials were also convicted in the same case.
The judge of the economic and financial criminal division of the Court of Sidi M’hamed (Algiers) retained a sentence of six years in prison, together with a fine of 200,000 DA, against the former Minister of Culture under the Bouteflika era.
Prosecuted in the same way as the main defendant for “abuse of office”, “squandering of public funds” and granting of undue advantages”, several other officials within the same ministry received prison sentences in connection with this case. .
These include the former inspector general of the same ministry Abdelhamid Benblidia, sentenced to four years in prison, accompanied by a fine of 200,000 DA and Miloud Hakim, former director of culture of Tlemcen, who sentenced him a two-year prison sentence, accompanied by a fine of 200,000 DA
The judge also ordered the lifting of the judicial review proceedings weighing on the defendants, as well as the lifting of the seizure of real estate (a detached house, and a mobile phone), while submitting the defendants to pay an indemnity of the order of 100,000 DA to the public treasury.
It should be recalled that during the hearing on March 29, the public prosecutor at the Sidi M’hamed court had requested a ten-year prison sentence accompanied by a fine of one million dinars against of the former Minister of Culture, Khalida Toumi. Eight years in prison against Abdelhamid Benblidia and five years in prison against Miloud Hakim.
