Algerian media mogul Anis Rahmani jailed for graft

Anis Rahmani, the head of Algeria’s top media organization Ennahar, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for corruption on Monday.

According to the official APS news agency, Rahmani, whose real name is Mohamed Mokaddem, was on trial for “misusing funds,” “violation of foreign exchange regulations,” “trading in influence to achieve unfair advantages,” and “forming a false declaration.”

A 274,000-euro ($286,000) fine was also imposed on El-Athir Presse, a subsidiary of Ennahar.

Rahmani, 50, is already serving a three-year sentence for recording and disseminating a phone call with a top intelligence officer, which was confirmed by an appeals court in March 2021.

Algerian penalties are not cumulative, which means that only the longest is served.

Rahmani has been detained since February 2020, and was convicted to six months in prison for slander in a separate case involving the Arabic-language journal Echourouk al-Arabi in October of same year.

Rahmani’s case comes after a slew of convictions involving officials connected to long-serving President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who stepped down in April 2019 under huge protests and army pressure.

Ennahar TV, a news channel launched in 2012, was viewed as a tool against Bouteflika’s opponents.

It had criticized then-candidate Abdelmadjid Tebboune, who ultimately became president, during the presidential elections of 2019.