This archive report was first published on 7 July 2019.
Algeria's Supreme Court has taken a significant step in its ongoing efforts to combat corruption by detaining Djamel Ould Abbes, a former minister and ex-chief of the National Liberation Front (FLN), on July 7, 2019.
Ould Abbes is suspected of squandering public funds, procuring a contract in violation of regulations, abuse of office, and forgery of public documents, according to state TV.
As a prominent figure linked to former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, Ould Abbes' detention is part of a broader crackdown on regime insiders accused of corruption since Bouteflika's forced resignation in early April.
Protests have continued in Algeria, with demonstrators demanding that regime insiders leave office and pave the way for independent institutions.
Ould Abbes' alleged transgressions date back to his time as Minister of National Solidarity, and he has been stripped of his parliamentary immunity, allowing the public prosecutor to launch proceedings against him.
With a career spanning over two decades, Ould Abbes held various posts after Bouteflika took power in 1999, including a stint as a member of the Council of the Nation from 2013 and as the head of the FLN party between 2016 and 2018.
