BY: Hana Saada
ALGIERS- The Tribunal of Sidi M’hamed has handed down a heavy sentence against the former Minister of Water Resources, Arezki Berraki. The Economic and Financial Penal Pole of the tribunal has sentenced him to 10 years in prison, along with a fine of 5 million dinars. This ruling comes after Berraki was accused of intentionally granting unjustified and undue privileges to others when concluding contracts and transactions in violation of laws and regulations, corruption in the field of public procurement, influence peddling, abuse of office, and conflict of interest.
The Tribunal has also sentenced a businessman involved in this case to 10 years in prison and a fine of 8 million dinars. The entrepreneur B.N has been sentenced to 4 years imprisonment and a fine of 1 million dinars. The central director of the Eastern region, B.A.C.O, has also been sentenced to a 3-year sentence and a fine of 200,000 dinars.
Berraki’s family members have also been implicated in this case. His son has been sentenced to 3 years and 500,000 dinars, his daughter to a 6-month suspended sentence and a fine of 50,000 dinars, and his wife to a one-year suspended prison sentence. The other co-defendants have been sentenced to 4 years in prison, while some have been acquitted.
The companies prosecuted in this case have been sentenced to fines ranging from 8 to 32 million dinars. This ruling serves as a reminder that corruption and abuse of power will not be tolerated in any form.
