Former PM admits role in gold scam

Former Algerian Premier Ahmed Ouyahia has admitted receiving 60 gold bars from Gulf donors then selling them on the black market. Ouyahia and former Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal are accused of covertly financing the 2019 re-election bid of then-President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who resigned shortly afterwards amid mass anti-government protests. Their retrial is underway after the Supreme Court in November annulled their earlier convictions following an appeal. A report on the News24 site notes that several former Ministers and other well-known figures are also on trial in the same case.