Political risk consultancy, Menas Associates has advanced reasons why a cabinet shakeup is underway in Algeria. In its monthly intelligence report on the North African country, it said reliable sources report that a partial cabinet reshuffle is imminent.
Some believe that the mini-reshuffle will focus solely on the Finance Ministry. Prime Minister Aïmene Benabderrahmane continues to hold the office of finance minister despite being appointed as prime minister on June 30.
As most commentators said at the time, it is impossible to competently manage both portfolios at the same time.
President Abdelmadjid Tebboune is strongly rumoured to be about to replace him as finance minister with Amel Abdellatif, who has served as the director-general of taxes since February 2020.
She was appointed to Sonatrach’s board soon after, and showed her mettle when she stood up to Sonatrach’s CEO Toufik Hakkar earlier this year. We understand that her promotion does not yet have unanimous support within the Presidency.
Some of Tebboune’s advisers have reservations over whether she has sufficient experience to manage Algeria’s deepening financial crisis.
There may be a few other changes. As we explain below, interior minister Kemal Beldjoud is under investigation by the intelligence serves for ‘illicit enrichment.
It is debatable — given Tebboune’s mantra on being tough on corruption except for those in his own circle — whether he is politically strong enough to retain Beldjoud in office.
The reshuffle might also be influenced by other emerging scandals within the regime, which are explained below, notably a likely court sentencing of Tahar Allache — the powerful and highly corrupt CEO of Société de Gestion des Services et des Infrastructures Aéroportuaires (SGSIA), which runs Aéroport d’Alger Houari Boumédiène — as well as new tensions within the Direction Centrale de la Sécurité de l’Armée (DCSA) surrounding the activities of the infamous Colonel Omar.
Kamel Beldjoud — a stalwart of the Tebboune clan and one of the president’s most faithful collaborators over the past six years, perhaps longer — is being secretly investigated by the intelligence services for suspected ‘Illicit enrichment’.
They are investigating his hidden overseas fortune and his activities in the housing sector. The former concerns four apartments in Dubai and another two in Turkey that Beldjoud is believed to have bought through nominees.
The illicit transfer of fund into foreign real estate is common practice for Algeria’s senior officials and generals. However, the investigation into Beldjoud spells danger for Tebboune because the investigation of Beldjoud’s activities in the housing sector is likely to impugn the president himself.
Beldjoud and Tebboune have been closely entwined throughout their careers. Tebboune ran the housing sector in 2001–02 and 2012–17 before he was promoted to a three-month stint as prime minister.
Beldjoud’s name is mentioned in several cases of questionable public procurement when he served as secretary general of the housing ministry in 2016–19 before being appointed by Tebboune as minister of housing, town planning and the city from March to December 2019, then being further promoted to become minister of the interior, local government and regional planning.
Although the housing sector has obvious potential for corruption and illicit enrichment, it has not attracted the attention of Algeria’s judges and courts because they have for so long been under the direct or indirect sway of Tebboune. Judges and magistrates have therefore been fearful of the risks to which they would be exposing themselves if they started delving into this sulphurous sector.
The obvious question, to which we do not yet have the answer, is why the sector is now being probed by elements within the intelligence services. The most likely answer is that those elements suspected of plotting against Tebboune are behind the moves.
However, for the moment, that is pure speculation. Leaks have already revealed that Beldjoud made numerous trips abroad in 2016–18, mostly to Dubai and Turkey, and frequently accompanied by members of his family. These visits incurred foreign currency expenses that well surpassed his civil servant salary and led to the discovery of the above-mentioned real estate assets.
Unsurprisingly, the investigations have revealed Beldjoud’s proximity to several foreign companies, several of which are Turkish, which have won major contracts in the housing sector over the past four or five years.
 Beldjoud’s and Tebboune’s metaphorical fingerprints are all over them. Indeed, they appear to have been the main individuals behind some potentially huge deals.
It seems that suspicions began to be raised after Tebboune was ousted from the premiership in August 2017 and his replacement, Ahmed Ouyahia, began to investigate. The question now is how far the intelligence services will go with this investigation, and under whose direction.
An alternative question is whether Tebboune has the power to stop the investigation and sweep it under the carpet. If he is unable to intervene it will further weaken his presidency, possibly even terminally, and give a very good indication of how power within the regime might be shifting.
