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Three individuals who had hoped to stand in Algeria’s recent presidential election have each been sentenced to 10 years in prison for electoral fraud, according to a judicial source.
Among those convicted are businesswoman Saida Neghza, former government minister Belkacem Sahli, and Abdelhakim Hamadi, a little-known political figure. All three were found guilty of paying bribes to secure the signatures required to qualify as presidential candidates in the September election.
The verdicts follow a mass trial that concluded after just nine days. On 8 May, prosecutors had called for 10-year prison terms and fines of one million Algerian dinars (approximately $7,600) for the main defendants.
In total, around 70 individuals were sentenced in connection with the case, including three of Neghza’s sons. They received jail terms ranging from five to eight years. Most of those convicted were members of local councils, accused of accepting money in exchange for providing endorsement signatures to the aspiring candidates.
Despite their efforts, none of the three managed to officially enter the race. Incumbent president Abdelmadjid Tebboune went on to win the election by a large margin.
To be eligible to run for Algeria’s presidency, candidates must either secure 600 signatures from elected representatives across at least 29 of the country’s 58 provinces, or gather 50,000 signatures from registered voters, with a minimum of 1,200 from each province.
Back in August, authorities had arrested 68 people in connection with the scheme, which involved purchasing endorsement signatures on behalf of the three hopefuls.
