Algeria's former Minister of Industry and Pharmaceutical Production, Ali Aoun, was sentenced to five years in prison on Monday after being convicted of corruption by the Economic and Financial Criminal Court in Algiers, in one of the country's most prominent recent graft cases.
Sentence and Charges
The court also ordered Aoun to pay a fine of one million Algerian dinars, equivalent to approximately $7,500. The ruling fell well short of the 12-year term that prosecutors had sought for the former minister, who held office between 2022 and 2024.
According to Al Jazeera English, the case centred on a range of serious allegations against the former official. As described in court proceedings,
"The case centred on accusations of corruption, mismanagement and the unlawful awarding of industrial and investment contracts, notably involving the trade in ferrous waste and copper residues."
Specifically, prosecutors alleged irregular sales of ferrous and non-ferrous metal waste in violation of rules governing the management of public assets.
Other Convictions and Acquittals
The sentencing extended to members of Aoun's family and associates. His son, Mehdi Aoun, received a six-year prison term in the same case. Other defendants — including investors, an official from a state-owned enterprise, and a prominent businessman — were handed sentences ranging from three to ten years. Prosecutors had sought ten-year terms for several of them. A number of defendants were acquitted after the court found insufficient evidence against them.
Broader Anticorruption Drive
The case forms part of a sustained anticorruption campaign launched by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, who came to power in 2019 during a period of widespread pro-democracy protests in Algeria. His administration has pursued legal action against a series of senior figures, with the campaign focusing particularly on officials associated with the era of former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.
The conviction of a sitting cabinet-level minister reflects the continued reach of that campaign into Algeria's highest levels of government and business.
