Judicial rulings issued against three former presidents of the Algerian Football Federation (FAF), along with administrative and financial officials, aroused widespread interest on social media sites, after the Sidi M’hamed Court in the Algerian capital, on Tuesday (October 27th), imposed effective prison sentences of up to eight years, in a case related to suspicions of corruption and imbalances in the management of the federation’s funds and the conclusion of contracts and deals during the period extending from 2017 to 2023.
These rulings put one of the most prominent judicial cases that affected former Algerian football officials at the forefront of attention, given the names involved and the breadth of the follow-up, which included 19 defendants.
Pioneers on social media called for the necessity of following up on the FAF corruption file and what is emerging from it, wondering about the rest of the corruption files that “have not been opened,” according to their description. One of them said: “Follow the FAF corruption file, let alone the files that have not yet been opened in the economic and media institutions... for what is hidden is greater.”
The Economic and Financial Criminal Court of Sidi M'hamed court ruled that the two former presidents of the federation, Khaireddine Zatchi and Charafeddine Amara, should be imprisoned for eight years each, with each of them paying a fine of one million Algerian dinars (approximately $7,400).
The court also sentenced former President Djahid Zvezif to six years in prison, and a fine of the same amount, according to what Algerian media reported of the ruling issued in the case.
The sanctions extended to former officials in the federation’s administrative and financial apparatus. The former Secretaries-General, Mohamed Saed and Mounir Dabaishi, and the former Director of Administration and Finance, Abdelghani Nakash, were each sentenced to three years in prison, and a fine of one million Algerian dinars.
The sentences also included Amin Abdi, a former official in the national team, with a three-year sentence, and Abdelmoumen Baraf, the former assistant director general of the federation, with a two-year sentence. One-year prison sentences were issued against a number of former members of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, while two former female employees were acquitted.
Regarding the contracting companies, press reports stated that the court ruled to imprison Walid Mohebi, the director of a Tunisian agency, for five effective years, while maintaining the international arrest warrant issued against him.
On the other hand, some considered this case “not a scandal,” but rather an affirmation that “the rule of law is above all, and that whoever is proven to be involved in corruption, circumvention of the law, and breach of trust must bear responsibility for his actions.”
Some said: “This is how countries are upright, institutions are preserved, and justice is established by holding every official accountable, no matter how high his status. The wise man is the one who takes advice from others before he becomes an example to others.”
The case relates to the financial and administrative management files of the Algerian Football Federation during the period in which Zatchi, Amara and Zvezif alternated as president of the body, between 2017 and 2023.
The investigations and trial focused on contracts and expenses related to sports equipment, travel services, accommodation, and food, as well as the expenses of organizing continental sports competitions hosted by Algeria.
Among the files that were examined was a sports equipment contract linked to a large sports company, in addition to expenses related to organizing the African Cup of Nations for local players and the African U-17 Championship in 2023.
The accusations included suspicions of abuse of office, concluding contracts in violation of applicable legislation and regulations with the aim of granting undeserved privileges, as well as squandering, embezzling and participating in public funds.
The rulings were preceded by the Public Prosecution’s pleadings, which, according to press reports, sought penalties of up to ten years in prison against the three former presidents and a number of officials.
