Algeria’s wealthiest businessman kept in jail

Algeria's richest man, Issad Rebrab, has been detained in jail on the Public Prosecutor's orders following his arrest as part of a corruption probe. Forbes magazine lists him as Algeria's richest man and the sixth wealthiest in Africa, with a net worth of $3.38bn in 2019. The crackdown on alleged graft follows the resignation of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika in early April after weeks of mass protests against his 20-year rule. Rebrab, the CEO of Algeria's biggest privately-owned conglomerate, Cevital, is being questioned by the authorities. A report on the News24 site notes that he is suspected of making fake statements concerning the transfer of funds abroad. On Monday, Rebrab tweeted that he had gone voluntarily to a police station to discuss ‘equipment that has been held up at the Algiers port since June 2018’.

Also in Algeria, Interim President Abdelkader Bensalah has fired the head of the country's biggest oil company, Sonatrach. Abdelmoumen Ould Kaddour is the latest high profile businessman to be caught up in the investigations that have followed the resignation of Bouteflika. Legalbrief reports that 12 businessmen are under investigation, all with ties to Bouteflika's entourage. BBC News reports that the head of the military, Ahmed Gaid Salah, called on prosecutors to ‘accelerate the pace’ of corruption investigations into those with ties to Bouteflika's inner circle.