Algeria Sentences Ex-president's Brother To 15 Years

Algeria Sentences Ex-president's Brother To 15 Years

A military court in Algeria has jailed Said Bouteflika, the brother of the deposed former president following a two-day trial, a private TV channel reports

According to Ennahar TV , he was given a 15- year sentence, along with two former intelligence chiefs and the leader of the Workers' Party.

The four defendants were arrested in May, shortly after weeks of pro-democracy protests forced long-time leader Abdelaziz Bouteflika to resign as president.

They were accused of conspiring against the state and undermining the military.

Khaled Nizar, a former defence minister, is reported to have been given a 20-year sentence in his absence by the court in Blida, a city south of the capital Algiers.

Said Bouteflika was widely seen as the real power behind the presidency after his brother suffered a stroke in 2013.