Court of Annaba has delivered its verdict sending four Algerians, including two officials of the Department of Fisheries and five Turks, accused of illegal fishing of bluefin tuna in Algerian waters, into 3 years imprisonment. According to a judicial source the case was date back to June 2009 when a Turkish tuna and two tugboats flying the Turkish flag and the El Djazair, an Algerian fishing boat were arrested by the Coast Guard in the waters off Annaba (600 km east of Algiers).
The source also revealed that the Turkish ship pulled in its wake a huge cage in which 210 tonnes of live bluefin tuna have been discovered. After probing the incident it was found that an illegal transfer of 210 tonnes of live bluefin tuna had been made between El Djazair belonging to an Algerian private owner and three Turkish vessels AQUADEM 2 Abdi Baba 3, Serter Ahmed 1.
The Secretary General of the Algerian Ministry of Fisheries Boudamous Fateh, and the central director of fishing Kamel Alem, were sentenced for “influence peddling”, “forgery and false using ” and “corruption”. A fine of more than 72 million dinars (720,000 euros) was imposed on the owners and another nearly 80 million euros, representing the damage caused to public property, was decided against the nine accused. The court also ordered the confiscation of vessels.
The incident push the Algerian Ministry of Fisheries to decide to exclude “foreign operators” of the next fishing season of bluefin tuna in waters under its jurisdiction in favor of national tuna.
