Algeria: Ex-black box of ex-military boss sentenced to death

Chief Warrant Officer Guermit Bounouira was arraigned Thursday in Blida Court of Appeals (50 km south of Algiers). ⁇Disclosure of confidential information, affecting the interests of the military and government, collecting and transmitting information to parties or third parties⁇According to this newspaper.

He was also charged ⁇Violation of confidential duty with the intent of undermining the interests of security and the state⁇According to the same source.

Died of a heart attack in December 2019 – Baunouira, former Secretary-General and former Private Secretary to the Minister of Defense Ahmed Gait Salah, was extradited by Algerian authorities to Turkey on July 30, 2020. Escaped.

>>> Read more: Algeria: Gaïd Salah’s former black box escapes with secret documents

According to El Watan, the Algerian judge is blaming him ⁇Captured a number of classified documents about movements within the military and the internal activities of the latter, using them as bargaining chips for a secure position.⁇.

The death penalty, which is frequently pronounced by Algerian courts, has not been used under prohibition in Algeria since 1993.

In a similar case, a court-martial sentenced a former leader of the Gendermary, Khali Belksir, to life in prison.

>>> Read more: Algeria: Gaïd Salah’s former “black box” Guermit Bounouira charged with treason

It also imposed the same punishment, in its absence, on Larbi Jidout, one of the leaders of the Islamic movement Razat abroad, which has been classified as a terrorist organization by Algerian authorities since May 2021.

In the first case, the defendants received similar sentences last January.

Several Algerian officials have been prosecuted or recently convicted of corruption by a military judge.

These senior military officers operated under President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who in April 2019 was forced to resign by the pro-democracy, anti-democratic movement. Poutfilica, who led Algeria for 20 years, died in September 2021.