Tayeb Louh, former Minister of Justice, sentenced to 3 years in prison, H24info

The financial and economic penal division of the Algiers court of Sidi M’hamed condemned the former minister Tayeb Louh to this prison sentence for “several counts, in particular abuse of office and obstruction of the proper functioning of Justice”, said the same source. The court also sentenced businessman Tarek-Noah Kouninef to 4 years in prison and a fine of one million dinars (7,000 euros) for “complicity in abuse of office” , according to the agency.

Mr. Louh was convicted in October on the same charges in another trial involving businessmen close to former President Bouteflika.

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Confusion of penalties prevails in Algerian law. The author of multiple offenses executes only one sentence, the heaviest.

A 70-year-old former magistrate, Mr. Louh was a Bouteflika loyalist, forced to resign in April 2019 by an unprecedented popular protest movement, the Hirak, before dying in September 2021.

He participated continuously in all governments between 2002 and 2019.

After Bouteflika’s fall, the justice system launched a series of investigations into the cases in which the men around him were involved.