BY: Hana Saada
ALGIERS- The Attorney General at the Court of Algiers has urged for tougher sentences to be imposed on former Prime Minister Noureddine Bedoui and former Health Minister Abdelmalek Boudiaf. This appeal comes after the two individuals were found guilty of engaging in a questionable deal related to the construction of the Constantine airport during their tenure as walis of the region. In June of last year, Bedoui and Boudiaf were initially sentenced to five years in prison.
These former government officials, who served under the Bouteflika regime, are also facing charges of abuse of power and granting unwarranted advantages. The case also involves Taher Sekrane, another former wali of Constantine, and Benyoucef Aziz, the former secretary general of the region.
The court ruling states that the overbilling in the Constantine terminal project resulted in significant financial losses, which were only discovered a decade later, despite the specifications stipulating a completion period of 48 months.
