Djamel Ould Abbes is under fire for his links to the corruption, Aawsat news agency reported on Monday. The closest associate to Algeria’s ex-president Abdelaziz Bouteflika detained over corruption and forgery of public documents.
Several prominent politicians and businessmen linked to the former president Bouteflika have been detained or questioned in connection with corruption. Since April, when Abdelaziz Bouteflika was forced to step down in the face of mass protests, many of his associates faced the problem with the prosecution.
Bouteflika’s one of the prominent associates, Djamel Ould Abbes, is suspected of “squandering public funds, procuring a contract in violation of… regulations, abuse of office and forgery of public documents.”
On Sunday, one of the most prominent figures from the regime of Bouteflika’s party was placed in provisional detention on allegations including “squandering public money”, the state-run TV channel reported.
The former minister Ould Abbes, ex-chief of the National Liberation Front (FLN), was placed in preventative detention by the Supreme Court’s investigating magistrate, local media said. Ould Abbes held a succession of posts after Bouteflika took power in 1999. According to a prosecutor, he alleged transgressions date to his time as Minister of National Solidarity.
The public prosecutor launched proceedings against Ould Abbes after he voluntarily gave up his parliamentary immunity. Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s stepping down made a way to many investigations regarding the former President’s associates.
