Saturday, November 2, 2024
HomeInternationalFormer Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia admitted to receiving and reselling ingots donated...

Former Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia admitted to receiving and reselling ingots donated by guests in the Gulf.

A former Algerian Prime Minister, Ahmed Ouyahia, admitted on Saturday that he had sold gold bars on the black market, offered by guests from the Gulf. A confession made during the opening of an appeal for corruption of ex-leaders of the Bouteflika era.

Ahmed Ouyahia and Abdelmalek Sellal, another head of government who served under deposed President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, have been tried again since Saturday in connection with a serious corruption scandal in the automotive sector.

- Advertisement -

This new trial comes after the Supreme Court accepted the defense appeal. About fifteen personalities, former ministers, powerful bosses and senior officials, are accused of “hidden” financing of Bouteflika’s last electoral campaign, in early 2019.

โ‚ฌ 2.1 million from the sale of ingots

They are also being prosecuted for nepotism and favoritism in the automotive industry through partnerships between foreign brands and large Algerian groups, often owned by businessmen linked to the entourage of the former president.

First called to the bar, Ahmed Ouyahia was first questioned about the origin of his assets, valued at some 700 million dinars (4.3 million euros) and placed in bank accounts.

He explained that these funds did not come from his functions but from the sale “on the black market of gold bars which he received as a gift, in his capacity as Prime Minister, from leaders of the Gulf countries”, according to the official APS news agency. Ahmed Ouyhia said he had “sold on the parallel market (60 ingots for) 350 million dinars (2.1 million euros) and placed the money in his accounts,” added APS.

Charges rejected by Ahmed Ouyhia

He said he had remained silent so far on this issue in order โ€œnot to damage relationsโ€ between Algeria and โ€œcertain friendly countriesโ€. He admitted not having declared these sums to the tax authorities. The former Prime Minister, accused in particular of “granting undue privileges, abuse of office, conflicts of interest and money laundering”, dismissed the charges against him.

Asked about the selection criteria for manufacturers authorized to invest in the automotive assembly industry, Ahmed Ouyahia denied having favored any candidate. โ€œThey were selected because they were active in the field and not for another reason,โ€ he said.

The automobile scandal resulted in a loss for the public treasury estimated at more than 128 billion dinars (975 million euros), according to official figures.

Ahmed Ouyahia, four times Prime Minister between 1995 and 2019, was sentenced at first instance to 15 years in prison, and Abdelmalek Sellal, who led the government from 2014 to 2017 and four election campaigns of President Bouteflika, to 12 years of ‘imprisonment. These prison sentences were confirmed on appeal in March 2020 by the Algiers court. On the other hand, it had eased the sentences imposed on former ministers and bosses.

President Bouteflika was forced to resign on April 2, 2019, under the pressure of an unprecedented anti-regime protest movement following the announcement of his candidacy for a fifth term.

- Advertisement -
Advertisement

Recent