Former Algerian Industry Minister Ali Aoun sentenced to 5 years in prison on corruption charges

The Economic Court of Sidi M'hamed in Algeria issued a ruling on Monday sentencing former Minister of Industry and Pharmaceutical Production Ali Aoun to five years in prison and a fine of one million Algerian dinars in a corruption case involving a number of defendants being prosecuted in the same case.

In the same case, the court issued varying sentences ranging from acquittal to prison sentences of up to 10 years, involving a number of officials and businessmen being prosecuted in the “Imetal” case related to suspicions of corruption in the pharmaceutical industry and production sector.

According to Algerian media, the general manager of the El Hadjar complex, Boulaayoun Karim, was sentenced to 3 years in prison and a fine of one million dinars, the general manager of the “Fondal” company, Salehi Noureddine, to 3 years and a fine of one million dinars, and businessman Abdelmoula Abdelnour, nicknamed “Nono Manita”, to 10 years and a fine of one million dinars.

In contrast, a number of defendants were acquitted, including the former general manager of the Madar Group, Sharaf al-Din Amara, and managers of pharmaceutical and car import companies, while the remaining sentences ranged between conviction and acquittal depending on the charges against each party in the case.

Condemnation of the Algerian Minister of Industry

Former Minister of Industry Ali Aoun was sentenced to 5 years imprisonment and a fine of one million dinars and ordered to be placed in custody at the session, along with the minister’s son, Mehdi Aoun, who received a sentence of 6 years and a fine of 200,000 dinars.

The Algerian public prosecutor at the first branch of the economic and financial criminal division in Sidi M'hamed had requested in a previous session that heavy penalties be imposed, amounting to 12 years imprisonment and a fine of one million dinars, against former minister Ali Aoun and businessman Nounou Manita.

The sentences also included Sharafawi Muhammad with 5 years imprisonment and a fine of one million dinars, and the head of the Koala Equestrian Club, Abdel Halim, with 5 years imprisonment and a fine of one million dinars, in addition to the acquittal of the managers of pharmaceutical companies, including Amrawi Abdelkader, Habes Muhammad Reda, the manager of Attia Adel Company, and the director of a car import company, Shereet Ayman.

Investor Bougataya Sami was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment and a fine of one million dinars, while the remaining sentences ranged between conviction and acquittal depending on the facts attributed to each defendant in this case.

It is worth noting that the “Imetal” case is classified as one of the major economic cases related to corruption in Algeria, due to its entanglement with several sensitive public institutions and investments in the industrial sector.