ALGIERS: An Algerian court said on Monday that three rejected presidential candidates were placed under “judicial supervision” while 68 others, including elected officials, were temporarily detained as part of an investigation. about electoral fraud.
He is suspected of being involved in “selling signatures” in the upcoming presidential election on September 7. Many of these petitions require candidates to run for office.
“Sixty-eight defendants were remanded in custody, three were placed under judicial supervision, and six were released after trial,” said the statement.
Last week, Lotfi Boudjemaa, the prosecutor of the Algerian Court of Justice, told the state news agency APS that “more than 50 elected officials” had confessed to receiving illegal funds to support the presidential candidate.
On Monday, named Saida Neghza, former minister Belkacem Sahli, the three candidates placed under judicial supervision, and Abdelhakim Hamadi.
Even if they are not arrested, they are required to regularly check with the authorities until the investigation is completed.
Boudjemaa said last week that those involved in the fraud would be “arrested”.
At a press conference before officially filing his candidacy last month, Neghza complained about the “difficulty” in the registration process and the obtaining the signature.
He said he hoped that “the electoral process is conducted in an atmosphere of transparency and integrity, without bias.”
In order to be eligible to run for the ballot, each must submit a list of at least 50,000 signatures from registered voters or from 600 members from at least 29 provincial assemblies in Algeria.
Only three hopefuls, including incumbent President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, won the September 7 election.
Abdelaali Hassani of the moderate Islamist party Movement of Society for Peace and Youssef Aouchiche of the left-wing Socialist Forces Front are the two candidates who will stand against Tebboune.
The other 13 hopefuls also had their candidacies rejected after failing to collect enough signatures.
