ALGIERS - The economic and financial penal pole at the tribunal of Sidi M’hamed (Algiers) sentenced, on Thursday, the former Minister of Culture, Khalida Toumi, prosecuted for corruption case, to a 4-year prison sentence accompanied by a fine of 200,000 DA.
A sentence of 4 years in prison accompanied by a fine of 200,000 DA was pronounced against the former inspector general of the Ministry of Culture, Abdelhamid Benblidia.
The former director of culture of the wilaya of Tlemcen, Abdelhakim Miloud was sentenced to two years in prison with a fine of 100,000 DA.
Khalida Toumi, whose trial had been adjourned for several times, is being prosecuted alongside former officials of the Culture sector for “squandering public funds, abuse of power and granting of undue advantages to third parties”.
She is accused of having grabbed public money while organizing three events: “Paris, capital of Arab culture” in 2007 and “The Pan-African festival” in 2009″ as well as for overbilling in the purchase of a giant tent used in the demonstration “Tlemcen, capital of Islamic culture”, in 2011.
As a reminder, the former member of the government in charge of the Culture sector, has been in preventive detention at the El Harrach penitentiary center since November 4, 2019.
