A high-profile corruption trial involving Algeria’s state-owned metals conglomerate Imetal is set to begin on November 24 before the economic and financial crimes court in Algiers. The case brings to court 25 current and former executives, business intermediaries, and public officials, making it one of the largest corruption cases to emerge in the country’s industrial sector in recent years.
Algerian prosecutors allege the accused—including leaders from Imetal, its steel-producing subsidiary Sider El Hadjar in Annaba, and the National Recovery Company (ENR)—were involved in a scheme to divert public funds, launder money, and grant illicit advantages in public contracts. The investigation, based on a detailed report to the public prosecutor, found evidence of widespread mismanagement and collusion. The accused allegedly manipulated tenders, arranged illegal contracts benefiting select companies, and misused public resources, severely impacting production capacity and causing repeated failures across several major industrial sites.
Authorities stated this is the last delay before opening proceedings, after granting a final extension for new defense lawyers to be appointed. Among those indicted are several former group CEOs and regional managers. Five were ordered into pretrial detention in March 2023, including Imetal’s late managing director, who died in custody last July. In total, seventeen other individuals, including managers, intermediaries, and businesspeople, also face charges related to the broader network of corruption and contract rigging identified during the investigation.
The Imetal affair has drawn attention for its scale and depth, with investigators describing a systematically organized operation that leveraged inside connections and outside pressure to distort Algeria’s public procurement system. Allegations in the case also include external links—pressure and blackmail aimed at securing contracts both within Algeria and abroad.
The trial will likely reveal the tactics and networks behind years of financial losses and poor performance at some of the nation’s largest publicly owned industrial groups, underscoring the broader economic and governance risks tied to entrenched opacity in the country’s public sector.
