Denver – During the final day of his trial for obstruction charges, Said Bouteflika, a former senior Algerian official who is also the brother of former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, said in his closing statements that he is in possession of extremely damaging state secrets.
“I hold state secrets, and if I divulge them one day, the foundations of this state will be shaken,” Bouteflika informed the Criminal Chamber Court of Dar El Beida. After leveling the veiled threat, Bouteflika relayed that he “preferred to stay silent” on the matter.
During the twenty-year presidency of his older brother, Said served as the presidential advisor to the elder Bouteflika. However, many suspect the younger brother was the true source of power in Algiers. Said’s control over the Algerian government is believed to have intensified after his brother Abdelaziz suffered a stroke in 2013.
As President Bouteflika’s health deteriorated beyond repair, many speculated that Said would be his brother’s successor.
After President Bouteflika was forced to resign in February 2019, however, Said and a number of other Algerian political officials were arrested and charged with crimes ranging from corruption to plotting against the state.
For these crimes, President Bouteflika’s brother was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment by Algeria’s courts, although he was acquitted by a military court in January of this year.
In December 2020, prosecutors also decided to pursue corruption charges against Said over alleged manipulation of Algeria’s judicial system. He was convicted of attempting to influence judicial decisions related to his businesses in the country.
On Tuesday this week, judges formally sentenced Bouteflika to an additional two years. The main defendant in the case, former justice minister Tayeb Louh, was also handed a six-year sentence for his role in the scandal.
Amid mass protests demanding legal accountability for the widespread corruption that has rampaged the country for decades, Algerian authorities have ramped up prosecution efforts against a selected group of former senior officials of the Bouteflika regime.
