The prosecutor’s office in Algiers demanded a 20-year prison sentence for corruption against former Algerian energy minister Chakib Khelil.
“The prosecutor of the Sidi M’hamed court in Algiers has requested 20 years in prison for Chakib Khelil and 10 years for the former head of the state-owned hydrocarbon giant Sonatrach, Mohamed Meziane, who is on trial in the same case,” the Algerian news outlet, APS reported.
Khelil and his family will lose all of their assets if he is convicted of the charges.
The prosecutor’s office also asked for verification of an international arrest warrant issued in 2019 against Khelil, who is reportedly on the run in foreign countries.
Khelil and Meziane are being prosecuted along with other co-defendants for “corruption in the Arzew (Oran, west) gas complex affair, granting undue privileges, abuse of office, and concluding contracts in violation of laws and regulations.”
During the trial, several foreign companies active in the energy sector were also being prosecuted.
Khelil left the Algerian government in 2010 following accusations of financial malpractice against the former CEO and executive directors of Sonatrach and was eventually convicted
He returned to Algeria in 2016 after the case against him had been dropped, then went abroad again when the case was brought up again.
During his time as head of the Energy sector, he was accused by many of sabotaging the largest gas field in the country, Hassi R’mel. He also tried to reform the hydrocarbons law in 2005, as it had been perceived as too favorable to foreign companies.
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