Former Energy Minister receives 20 year sentence on charges of corruption

Last updated on February 2nd, 2022 at 01:51 pm

Alegria’s former Energy Minister has been sentenced to 20 years in prison under charges of corruption.

On Tuesday, the prosecutor’s office announced that former Algerian energy minister Chakib Khelil who was under the leadership of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika for 10 years has been sentenced to 20 years of jail over a case of corruption.

The statement released by the local media regarding the case says that he has been sentenced for such a long punishment for being wrongly involved in the state-owned hydrocarbon giant Sonatrach case.

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He was known to have excellent command over such projects and experts believe that this excess of knowledge led to him corrupting the project. The former minister is not only serving the prison sentence but will also have to compensate with heavy fines.

All his assets will also be confiscated, even the ones which are owned by his family. Other than that, the prosecutor’s office also demanded an arrest warrant against Khelil which was issued in 2019. That particular arrest warrant was applicable for international detention as well. After running away from the country, he returned in 2016 to face trials. The trial will also see several foreign companies active in the energy sector being prosecuted for promoting corruption.