Former Algerian Prime Minister Sellal Detained In Corruption Case - Reports

Former Algerian Prime Minister Sellal Detained in Corruption Case - Reports

Algeria's Supreme Court on Thursday ruled to place former Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal in custody after he was questioned in connection with a graft case, local media reported

CAIRO (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th June, 2019) Algeria's Supreme Court on Thursday ruled to place former Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal in custody after he was questioned in connection with a graft case, local media reported.

Sellal appeared before the Supreme Court earlier on Thursday as part of anti-corruption investigations into senior officials linked to Algeria's former longtime president, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, the Nahar tv channel reported. The politician is suspected of wasting public funds, abusing power and giving preferential treatment to individual businessmen.

Sellal headed the government during the last years of Bouteflika's rule. He was considered to be one of the closest politicians to the ex-Algerian leader and even ran his last three re-election campaigns.

On Wednesday, another former prime minister of Algeria, Ahmed Ouyahia, was placed in custody over similar charges.

An acute political crisis broke out in Algeria in February after Bouteflika announced he would be seeking a fifth term.

The public, discontent with the ailing president, took the streets in a wave of anti-government protests. Despite Bouteflika withdrawing his re-election bid on March 11 and postponing the vote, initially scheduled for April 18. the people demanded immediate changes and continued to protest.

Bouteflika eventually stepped down on April 2. The speaker of the country's upper house, Abdelkader Bensalah, temporarily replaced the president, as is instructed by the constitution. Earlier in June, Algeria's Constitutional Council extended Bensalah's powers due to another delay in the presidential election, which had been rescheduled to July 4.

Despite these developments, nationwide protests are still underway, with demonstrators now demanding that all politicians who got positions in Bouteflika's government resign.