08-07-2025
Former Minister Khemri And 90 Defendants Back In Court On July 15th
The Algiers Judicial Council, on Tuesday, postponed until July 15 the trial of former Youth Minister, Abdelkader Khemri, and 90 defendants, who are being prosecuted for corruption related to the youth sector, the National Publishing and Advertising Agency, and the National Youth Entertainment Agency, at the request of the defense team.
The defendants will appear before the Tenth Criminal Chamber of the Algiers Judicial Council, facing serious charges ranging from the misdemeanor of deliberate abuse of office in violation of laws and regulations, granting unjustified privileges to others contrary to applicable legislative and regulatory provisions, the misdemeanor of deliberate embezzlement of public funds, illicit enrichment, in addition to money laundering and participation in the embezzlement of public funds, acts stipulated and punishable by the Law on the Prevention and Fight against Corruption, and the Penal Code.
On June 4, the Economic and Financial Penal Pole Court in Sidi M'hamed had imposed the maximum penalties on the defendants prosecuted in the corruption case involving the National Publishing and Advertising Agency and the youth sector.
The penalties handed down by the judge against the convicted defendants ranged from 8, 5, 4, and 3 years to 18 months of effective imprisonment and financial fines amounting to one million Algerian dinars, along with the confiscation of all seized assets.
In detail, after confirming the charges against the defendants, the head of the pole read out the verdicts. Former Youth Minister Abdelkader Khemri was sentenced to 8 years of effective imprisonment and a fine of one million Algerian dinars, while the director of the National Youth Entertainment Agency 'ANALEJ', 'Kh.M.', received 5 years of effective imprisonment and a fine of one million Algerian dinars.
The former director of the 'ANALEJ' agency, 'Z. Rachid', was also sentenced to 3 years of effective imprisonment and a fine of 1 million Algerian dinars, while the Director General of Youth at the Ministry of Youth and Sports received a sentence of 4 years of effective imprisonment and a fine of one million Algerian dinars.
In contrast, the head of the Economic and Financial Pole imposed a sentence of two years of effective imprisonment and a fine of 500,000 dinars on both the CEO of the National Publishing and Advertising Agency, 'Boussnah. A', and the director of the publishing department at the same agency, 'L.L.', as well as the director of finance and accounting at the same agency.
The sentences pronounced by the judge against the remaining defendants, including economic operators and employees of the 'ANALEJ' agency, ranged from 18 months of effective imprisonment to 5 years of effective imprisonment, and 20 defendants were acquitted.
Furthermore, the Economic and Financial Pole Court ordered the convicted and detained defendants to pay varying amounts of compensation to the public treasury.
