Maghreb Edition

Algeria sentences ex-president’s brother and advisor Said Bouteflika to 12 years in prisonF



Posted On 9 February 2023

Number of times this article was read : 1056

The North Africa Journal’s WhatsApp Group

An Algerian court has sentenced the brother of ousted president Abdelaziz Bouteflika to 12 years in prison for “corruption” and money laundering, local media reported Wednesday. The verdict against Said Bouteflika — already serving time in a different case — is the latest in a string of investigations into corruption during his brother’s two decades in power, launched by the judiciary since mass protests in 2019 forced the former president to resign.

Algerian news website Interlignes said the Sidi M’hamed court in Algiers has also given a 12-year sentence to two other defendants — businessman Ahmed Mazouz and construction tycoon Ali Haddad, who is also already in prison on other charges.

Mahieddine Tahkout, a former car industry boss and one of the most influential business figures of the Bouteflika era, has been sentenced to 15 years, the report said. Three other ex-tycoons, brothers Reda, Noah-Tarek and Abdelkader-Karim Kouninef, have been sentenced to 10 years each, it added. The Kouninef brothers, who were close to the ousted president, had already been sentenced to 12-16 years in another corruption case.

In June, Said Bouteflika was given an eight-year sentence for corruption. Sentences issued by Algerian courts are not added up, with only the longest sentence actually served.

AFP

Podcast: Development Without Aid: Power, Politics, and Local Resilience in the Global South$

A conversation with Dr. Kate Schecter, President and CEO of World Neighbors, on how community-led development works in practice across the Global South.

Subscribe to Urgent Notifications and Newsletter

Most Recent Stories from the Region

Egypt joins China’s tariff-free initiative as Beijing opens its market to nearly all of AfricaF

Egypt joined China’s expanded zero-tariff scheme on 1 May 2026, gaining duty-free access to the Chinese market alongside 52 other African countries with diplomatic ties to Beijing. The move eliminates tariffs that previously ran from 8 to 30 percent on key Egyptian exports, though the arrangement is a two-year preferential window through April 2028 rather than a permanent deal, and non-tariff barriers like rules of origin and phytosanitary standards still apply.

While its minorities are winning World Cup games, France is preparing to pivot to the far rightF

As France’s multiethnic World Cup squad marches toward the semifinals, the country’s 2027 presidential race is tilting hard right. Right-winger Marine Le Pen leads first-round polling and beats nearly every rival in hypothetical runoffs. With RN president Jordan Bardella waiting in the wings and Jean-Luc Mélenchon consolidating the left, France’s fractured center may not be able to stop either a far-right or hard-left runoff in 2027. Here is our take.

Egypt Clears $6.1 Billion Oil and Gas Arrears, Energy Sector Looks to Rebuild Investor TrustF

Egypt has fully paid the $6.1 billion in arrears it owed foreign oil and gas partners, ending a multi-year backlog tied to its foreign-currency crunch. With the debt paid down to zero by mid-2026, officials are pairing the settlement with new investment incentives and a push to revive onshore drilling, aiming to reverse years of declining crude output.

Written by The North Africa Journal

The North Africa Journal is a leading English-language publication focused on North Africa. The Journal covers primarily the Maghreb region and expands its general coverage to the Sahel, Egypt, and beyond, when events in those regions affect the broader North Africa geography. The Journal does not have any affiliation with any institution and has been independent since its founding in 1996. Our position is to always bring our best analysis of events affecting the region, and remain as neutral as humanly possible. Our coverage is not limited to one single topic, but ranges from economic and political affairs, to security, defense, social and environmental issues. We rely on our full staff analysts and editors to bring you best-in-class analysis. We also work with sister company MEA Risk LLC, to leverage the presence on the ground of a solid network of contributors and experts. Information on MEA Risk can be found at www.MEA-Risk.com.