A French prosecutor has rejected Algeria’s request to extradite former Minister of Industry Abdeslam Bouchouareb, who is wanted in his home country on charges of corruption.
Bouchouareb, who has been living in France since 2019, served as Minister of Industry and Mines from 2014 to 2017 under the presidency of Abdelaziz Bouteflika.
On Wednesday, the French public prosecutor’s office informed the Court of Appeal of Aix-en-Provence of its decision after several months of reviewing Bouchouareb’s case.
The prosecutor’s office has advised the court to reject six extradition requests made by Algeria, citing concerns about Bouchouareb’s health.
Attorney General Raphael Sanesi de Gentile stated that Bouchouareb, who is seriously ill, would face a rapid and irreversible decline in health if removed from France.
Bouchouareb’s lawyer, Benjamin Bohbot, raised concerns about the conditions in Algerian detention facilities, specifically the El-Harrach penitentiary centre, where the former minister could face overcrowded conditions.
Since the downfall of President Bouteflika’s regime in April 2019, numerous former ministers and prime ministers have been prosecuted and sentenced to lengthy prison terms as part of Algeria’s anti-corruption crackdown.
