Algeria’s ex-minister of industry jailed in high-profile corruption case

Former Algerian Industry Minister Ali Aoun has been sentenced to five years in prison after being convicted of corruption, local media reported.

Aoun, who was the minister for industry and pharmaceutical production between 2022 and 2024, was jailed on Monday in a high-profile corruption case that saw several senior figures convicted, the Algerian online news site Dzair Tube reported.

According to the news site, prosecutors had sought a 12-year sentence for the former minister, and 10 year sentences for several other defendants. Aoun was also ordered by the Economic and Financial Criminal Court in the capital, Algiers, to pay a fine of 1 million Algerian dinar (approximately $7,500).

Local media said the case revolved around the irregular sales of ferrous and non-ferrous metal waste in violation of public asset management rules.

“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,” Dzair Tube reported.

The AFP news agency said that several other officials were also convicted, though some were acquitted due to a lack of evidence.

Among those convicted was the former minister’s son, Mehdi Aoun, who was handed a six-year prison term as part of the same case, while investors, an official at a state-owned business and a prominent businessman received sentences of between three and 10 years, according to Dzair Tube.

The case and the convictions come amid an ongoing anticorruption drive launched by Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, who came to power in 2019 amid widespread pro-democracy protests.

Tebboune’s campaign against corruption has targeted senior officials, including from the era of former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, AFP reports.