ALGERIA · COURTS
Key Facts
- —The country Algeria is Africa’s largest country and a major gas supplier to Europe.
- —What happened A prosecutor seeks seven years for former Algiers-Centre mayor Hakim Bettache.
- —The case Alleged fraud over a 1,400-home Saoula housing project launched in 2016.
- —The numbers About 1,000 buyers are civil parties; most paid US$6,000 to US$7,400.
- —Still open Verdict due Thursday, 15 October; Bettache is presumed innocent.
Ten years after buyers paid deposits for homes near Algiers, the former mayor they accuse is awaiting a verdict.
A prosecutor in Algiers has asked for seven years in prison for Hakim Bettache, the former mayor of the capital’s downtown district. The case concerns a 1,400-home housing project, launched in 2016, that buyers say was never delivered.
El Khabar, a leading Arabic-language Algerian daily, and the French-language news site TSA reported the request on Saturday, 10 October. The trial tests how far Algeria will pursue local officials, seven weeks before municipal elections on 28 November.
What the Prosecutor Asked For
The public prosecutor at the Bir Mourad Rais court in Algiers requested up to seven years in prison without suspension. El Khabar said the request followed a long trial and cited sources linked to the case.
El Khabar gives his full name as Abdelhakim Bettache; TSA calls him Hakim Bettache. He was president of the municipal assembly of Algiers-Centre, the elected council whose head serves as mayor.
According to El Khabar, the case was heard as alleged fraud and abuse of office. The original complaint, filed in July 2024, accused Bettache and a property developer of fraud and forming a criminal association.
The developer is a co-accused in the same file. The judge set Thursday, 15 October, as the date for the verdict.
Bettache has not been convicted of any offence. Neither outlet reported a statement from him or his lawyers.
How a 2016 Housing Project Ended in Court
The project was a so-called participatory housing scheme run by the Algiers-Centre municipality. In this formula, buyers pay part of the price in instalments while the state supports the cost.
The 1,400 homes were planned in Saoula, a suburb on the southern edge of the capital. Buyers paid first instalments of between DZD 800,000 and DZD 1 million (about US$5,950 to US$7,440), El Khabar reported.
Some buyers said they paid far more. Conversions use exchange rates of 10 October 2026, at DZD 134.43 per US dollar.
For scale, 1,400 deposits of at least DZD 800,000 would total at least DZD 1.12 billion (about US$8.3 million). That is an arithmetic estimate, not a figure from the court.
El Khabar’s sources said the number who paid deposits is close to 2,000. They said the developer widened the list of promises beyond the planned project.
About 1,000 of the 1,400 original subscribers have joined the case as civil parties. TSA reported that about 400 accepted an offer to switch to LPA, a state-assisted home-ownership formula.
The core allegation concerns the land. Documents cited by the complainants say the developer did not own the plot when buyers first paid in 2016.
The buyers say the mayor still sent their list of names to the developer. They argue that this let the project continue on the path that later led to court.
They also cited a letter from the state land agency, which said the developer could not pay for the plot. That was despite an 80% cut to its market value, El Khabar reported.
A second letter, from the housing directorate, showed that contracts with the same developer had been cancelled on earlier projects. Those projects were in Ain Benian and Ain Taya, two coastal districts of Algiers.
In court, the buyers asked for their flats and for the municipality to compensate them. They cited moral, psychological and material harm from ten years of waiting.
Why Prosecuting a Mayor Took Two Years
The buyers filed their complaint with an investigating judge at the Sidi M’hamed court in Algiers in July 2024. Because Bettache was a local elected official, the file then followed a special procedure.
The prosecutor general at the Algiers court sent it to the Algiers provincial administration in November 2024 for an opinion and permission. About a year later, the Interior Ministry authorised prosecutors to pursue the former mayor, El Khabar reported.
Since 2019, Algerian courts have tried many former ministers, governors and business leaders for corruption. Two former prime ministers were convicted in December 2019.
The timing matters at home. Algeria’s elections authority has begun screening candidate files for municipal and provincial elections on Saturday, 28 November.
Those elections cover 1,541 municipalities and 69 provinces. Article 184 of the electoral law bars candidates publicly known for links to suspect business and money circles, El Khabar noted.
What It Means for US Readers
Algeria is a major gas supplier to Europe and a security partner of Washington in North Africa and the Sahel. How its courts treat local officials is a signal of legal certainty for foreign firms.
American companies that sign contracts with Algerian public bodies, from energy to construction, rely on clear land titles and enforceable deals. This case turns on exactly that question: who owned the land when money changed hands.
For Algerian-Americans buying homes off-plan in Algeria, the lesson is practical. Buyers should check that a developer holds the title to the land before paying any deposit.
What Is Not Known
Neither El Khabar nor TSA gave the exact date of the hearing. It is not known whether Bettache is in custody or free, or what his defence argued.
The sentence sought for the developer was not reported. TSA put the upper range of deposits at DZD 10 million (about US$74,400), which differs from El Khabar’s account.
The total sum paid by buyers has not been published. It is also unclear which years Bettache served as mayor and which party he represented.
What Comes Next
The Bir Mourad Rais court is due to deliver its verdict on Thursday, 15 October. Either side can appeal a first-instance judgment to the Algiers court of appeal.
A prosecutor’s request is not a sentence. Judges in Algeria often hand down shorter terms than prosecutors seek, and they can also acquit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Hakim Bettache?
He is the former president of the municipal assembly of Algiers-Centre, the downtown district of the Algerian capital. El Khabar gives his full name as Abdelhakim Bettache.
What is he accused of?
He is accused of fraud and abuse of office over a housing project in Saoula, according to El Khabar. The original complaint also alleged forming a criminal association.
How long a sentence does the prosecutor want?
The prosecutor at the Bir Mourad Rais court asked for up to seven years in prison without suspension. The court has not yet ruled.
How many buyers are involved?
The project had 1,400 subscribers, and about 1,000 are civil parties in the case. Sources told El Khabar that close to 2,000 people paid deposits.
When is the verdict expected?
The court is due to rule on Thursday, 15 October. Either side can then appeal.
Sources: El Khabar, trial report (Arabic); TSA (French); El Khabar, local elections (Arabic); ExchangeRate-API (all accessed 10 October 2026).
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief
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