Three former Algerian presidential hopefuls were sentenced to 10 years in prison for electoral fraud, a judicial source confirmed Monday.
Businesswoman Saida Neghza, ex-minister Belkacem Sahli, and outsider Abdelhakim Hamadi were found guilty of buying electoral signatures to qualify for the September election.
The ruling followed a swift nine-day trial, where prosecutors had demanded the same prison terms and fines of one million dinars—approximately $7,600.
Seventy additional defendants, including Neghza’s three sons, received sentences ranging from five to eight years for their involvement in the fraud scheme.
Most were local council members accused of selling their endorsement signatures in exchange for bribes from the would-be candidates.
Despite their efforts, none of the three candidates succeeded in securing a place on the official ballot.
President Abdelmadjid Tebboune ultimately won the election by a wide margin, securing his second term amid low voter turnout and controversy.
Under Algerian law, presidential candidates must gather 600 signatures from elected officials in 29 provinces or 50,000 from registered voters, with a minimum of 1,200 per province.
In early August, authorities arrested 68 individuals suspected of involvement in the signature-buying operation tied to the three accused hopefuls.
The court’s verdict marks one of the country’s most sweeping political fraud cases in recent memory.
It reflects Algeria’s tightening grip on election integrity following years of political unrest and demands for transparency.
While the sentences have not yet been appealed, legal experts expect the high-profile case to reverberate through the country’s political landscape.
