Algerian Interim President Abdelkader Bensalah on Wednesday sacked the country’s justice minister Slimane Brahmi from his post following a series of corruption investigations involving allies of former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, reported Reuters.
According to a statement released by the presidency, Bensalah appointed Algiers public prosecutor Belkacem Zeghmati as the replacement to Brahmi after consultation with the prime minister. He did not give a reason for the decision to fire Brahmi.
The departing justice minister had been serving in the post since March 31, when Bouteflika named a new government shortly before his resignation.
After Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s resignation in April following mass public protests and pressure from the army, the Algerian judiciary has launched a series of investigations into senior officials and business figures accused of corruption during the former President’s 20-year rule. The list includes some names like ex-prime ministers Ahmed Ouyahia and Abdelmalek Sellal who have been placed in custody over charges including the dissipation of public funds.
The mass protests that began in February this year continued even after Bouteflika resigned. The people of Algeria are now calling for the removal of the ruling elite that has governed the country since independence from France in 1962 and the prosecution of people involved in corruption cases. The protesters are seeking the departure of interim president Bensalah, a former head of the upper house of parliament, and Prime Minister Noureddine Bedoui, who have been close aides of Bouteflika.
The Algerian authorities had to postpone a presidential election previously planned for July 4 due to a lack of candidates. No new date for the vote has been set yet. Bensalah last week named a panel to start talks with the opposition over the election.
On Tuesday, Algeria’s Army Chief Lieutenant General Ahmed Gaid Salah ruled out accepting any preconditions by the opposition to launch talks, saying that they cannot afford to lose any more time now.
