The Algerian Senate's legal commission is set to convene today to discuss the request by the judiciary to lift the parliamentary immunity of two former ministers, Djamel Ould Abbas and Saïd Barkat. The commission will hear from the two senators, who are accused of embezzling funds during their tenure at the Ministry of National Solidarity. If the commission approves the request, a simple majority vote will be held in a plenary session to officially lift their immunity.
Ould Abbas and Barkat, both members of the FLN party, have held various ministerial portfolios in the past. They are accused of embezzling over 706 billion Algerian dinars through dubious aid to associations and NGOs. While Barkat has publicly stated his willingness to renounce his immunity and respond to the judiciary's summons, Ould Abbas has shown resistance. According to sources, Ould Abbas has been lobbying fellow senators to vote against lifting his immunity.
The case involves 21 individuals, including nine ministry officials, who have been summoned by the prosecutor. Ould Abbas is accused of being both the perpetrator and beneficiary of the embezzlement in at least two associations. Twelve other individuals, out of a list of 21, have been or are currently heading associations and NGOs that received funds allegedly embezzled from the Ministry of National Solidarity.
One example of the alleged embezzlement is the purchase of 250 school buses in 2007, where 52 billion Algerian dinars were transferred from the Ministry of National Solidarity to an association called "Hime Self", which is headed by Ould Abbas. An investigation revealed that the buses were never acquired. Another association, "Paix et Solidarité", founded and headed by Ould Abbas, allegedly received 43 billion Algerian dinars to purchase buses for victims of the Ghardaïa floods in 2010, but the buses were never bought.
Other associations have been cited by the judiciary for receiving large sums of money for activities that were never or rarely carried out. These include the National Federation of Motor Disabled (49 billion Algerian dinars), "Lalla Nafissa pour la promotion de la femme", "Iqra", and "Flambeau de vie plein air". The latter allegedly received 10.8 billion Algerian dinars meant for needy women and orphans in the south of the country.
The case also involves the alleged embezzlement of 556 billion Algerian dinars by the Union of Algerian Students, which had no relation with the Ministry of National Solidarity, except for its president being a high-ranking official in the ministry. The funds were allegedly meant for purchasing ambulances and assisting needy students between 2010 and 2012, during Saïd Barkat's tenure as minister.
The decision by the Senate's legal commission will likely accelerate the judicial proceedings against Ould Abbas and Barkat. If their immunity is lifted, they will face questioning by the judiciary. The case has sparked attention due to the large sums of money allegedly embezzled and the high-ranking officials involved.
Key points
- - Two Algerian senators, Djamel Ould Abbas and Saïd Barkat, face possible lifting of immunity over embezzlement allegations. - The alleged embezzlement involves over 706 billion Algerian dinars through dubious aid to associations and NGOs. - The case also implicates 21 other individuals, including nine ministry officials.
