2023-05-23 14:43:00
Mohamed Hamani (49), who has dual Algerian and Belgian nationality, returned home to Courcelles on May 9 following more than two months in an Algerian prison for an incredible story of possession of (alleged) fake dinars bought from any good faith in an exchange office in the center of Brussels. “He has been at home for two weeks, but there has not yet been a final judgment in Algeria. He is still awaiting a court decision which should put an end to this case.explains his wife, Virginie Perin.
It all started during the Carnival holidays. The couple flew with their boy to Algeria to discover the country of origin of the family of Mohamed (who was born in Charleroi). The day before their return, scheduled for March 2, the man was taken into custody following going to his bank in Chlef. The police told him that the dinars (the equivalent of 50 euros!) presented at the counter, although duly acquired in Brussels, were counterfeit notes.
“My husband is in prison because he bought, in good faith, fake dinars in Brussels”
Mohamed was then detained in a shed-dispensary due to health problems. As the days went by, he lost a lot of weight and might no longer put his leg down due to a knee prosthesis. Virginie Perin, who had returned to Belgium alone with her son, had no further news of him except via the Algerian lawyer whom the family had hired there.
But information was scarce. Mohamed’s morale plummeted. Mrs. Perrin has multiplied the steps to prove the innocence of her husband. With her counsel, Me Laurent Kennes, she filed a complaint on March 4 once morest the exchange office from which the supposedly false dinars come. She questioned Foreign Affairs – Mohamed also being a Belgian national. But nothing was moving.
”It’s not as if we had found the joy of living”
Until early May. The detainee’s passport was returned; the court clerk bought a plane ticket to Belgium. What happened to unlock the file? “We never had the end of the word. I don’t know what allowed his conditional release, but he was told that he might return to Belgium and that he might be called back if we had any questions for him., explains Virginia. The disputed dinars have been analyzed. “If they released him, it must have been positive for him”, assumes the woman. On the spot, Mohamed was helped and supported by the members of his family, which allowed him not to lose his footing.
“But there was still a trauma. He has been followed by a psychiatrist since his return. Me too. It’s not as if we had rediscovered the joy of living in the family. The damage must be repaired.”
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