A former prime minister under Algeria’s late president Abdelaziz Bouteflika has been detained, making him the third former premier to face jail on corruption charges in the country.
The Indictment Chamber of the Algerian Judicial Council ordered the detention of former Prime Minister Noureddine Bedoui on Tuesday following allegations of corruption.
The council has overturned a previous ruling to place Bedoui under judicial supervision procedures. Bedoui is facing charges of graft, mismanagement and violating the laws of public procurement during his tenure as the governor of Constantine state.
The corruption case is connected to the distribution of deals during the 2016 Arab Capital of Culture demonstration.
This is the second time that Bedoui has appeared before the investigative judge of the Third Chamber of the Financial and Economic Pole at the Court of Sidi M’hamed. Last September, he also appeared before the judge in relation to corruption issues.
Following Bouteflika’s ouster, prosecutors launched a string of graft investigations against people in his inner circle, which led to several other top figures receiving heavy prison sentences, including his powerful brother Said.