Algeria jails three ex-presidential hopefuls for buying election signatures

Businesswoman Saida Neghza, former minister Belkacem Sahli, and Abdelhakim Hamadi were among those sentenced after a short trial that lasted just over a week.

The three individuals were accused of paying for voter signatures in a failed attempt to qualify for last year’s presidential race.

None of the three succeeded in entering the election, which President Abdelmadjid Tebboune won by a large margin.

Algerian law requires presidential candidates to collect 600 signatures from elected officials across at least half of the country’s 58 provinces or secure 50,000 signatures from ordinary citizens, at least 1,200 from each province.

Authorities said the three hopefuls tried to bypass this process by offering cash to elected officials in exchange for their signatures.

The public prosecution had requested 10-year sentences and a fine of one million dinars ($7,600) when the case opened on May 8.

Around 70 others who were also local council members accused of selling their signatures were also convicted in the case.

They received prison terms ranging from five to eight years, Arab News reports. Three of Neghza’s sons were among those jailed.

The investigation began in early August when prosecutors announced that 68 people had been arrested in connection with the alleged buying of signatures.

The case has drawn attention in Algeria as the country prepares for its next presidential vote and highlights ongoing concerns about transparency and corruption in the political process.

Source: globalsouthworld.com