Three former presidents of the Algerian Football Federation (FAF) are under investigation for alleged corruption and misappropriation of public funds into the hands of 14 former officials of the FAF, according to the Algerian Justice Ministry.
The public prosecutor’s office of the economic and financial criminal division of a court in Sidi M’hamed, Algeria, announced on Monday that a judicial inquiry regarding the management of the FAF since 2017 has been initiated. The investigation follows a preliminary inquiry conducted by the economic and financial crimes unit of the Algerian capital’s police force.
Algerian authorities commenced investigations based on information pointing toward possible corruption within the FAF. Officials within the federation were allegedly involved in irregularities such as signing contracts that did not adhere to internal procedures, ostensibly to provide undue advantages to third parties.
According to the prosecutor’s statement, the alleged actions constitute a “grave misuse” of both the federation’s public funds and the national treasury. Former FAF presidents Kheireddine Zetchi, Charafeddine Amara, and Djahid Zefizef, who successively led the FAF between March 2017 and July 2023, have all been named.
Two former secretary-generals, a former general manager, and three corporate entities have also been drawn into the affair. They face allegations concerning misuse of public funds, complicity in such misuse, voluntary abuse of power, signing contracts that violate regulations to benefit others unfairly, and gaining improper advantages through dealings with the State or its institutions.