Former Algerian Football Federation presidents face corruption charges
via Algérie3603 min read
The investigating judge of the third chamber of the economic and financial penal division in Sidi M’hamed recently heard former Algerian Football Federation FAF President Charaf-Eddine Amara regarding a corruption case. Amara is being prosecuted alongside Kheireddine Zetchi, currently in detention, and Djahid Zefizef, as well as several other former federal bureau members who are also in provisional detention. The case is expected to be referred to the Algerian courts soon. Over fifteen individuals, including former FAF presidents Kheireddine Zetchi and Djahid Zefizef, former FAF general secretaries Mohamed S. and Mounir D., and former general administration director Abdelghani N., have been heard. These hearings represent the final stage of the investigation, following a supplementary expert analysis provided to the accused. The magistrate is now preparing to finalize the referral order to schedule the trial. The charges against Zetchi, Zefizef, Amara, and others relate to concluding contracts in violation of internal procurement procedures to grant undue advantages to third parties, leading to the embezzlement of public funds within the FAF and the public treasury. Accusations include abuse of office, intentional embezzlement of public funds, complicity, illegal contracting, granting unjustified advantages, and money laundering. The investigation revealed that Kheireddine Zetchi signed several suspicious contracts that did not comply with legal provisions, aiming to provide
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A court in Dar El-Beïda has sentenced an individual to four years in prison and a fine of 200,000 dinars for the apology of terrorist acts via information and communication technologies. The accused was acquitted of belonging to a terrorist organization. The court also ordered the return of his Algerian and American passports. Security reports indicated close ties between the accused and the MAK terrorist movement, with several family members active in the organization. Investigations revealed the accused committed acts against state symbols and the nation, and made offensive remarks against the Muslim religion and the Prophet, including insulting publications and attacks on the Quran. He reportedly used multiple Facebook accounts to promote MAK, support its ideas, and relay its activities, leading to his inclusion on wanted lists. The accused denied any affiliation with MAK or its leader, Ferhat Mehenni, and denied links to the incriminated accounts. He stated he is a father, lived in the United States for seven years after leaving Algeria in 2007, and holds a civil engineering degree from the University of Tizi Ouzou. He worked in taxation at the American embassy and received computer programming training. He returned to Algeria on June 8, 2025, and was arrested at Houari Boumediene Airport. During interrogation, the judge presented technical evidence from a digital analysis of his phone, including inciting publications from pages he allegedly administered. The accused was
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