Abdelghani Hamel (Arabic: عبدالغني هامل) is an Algerian politician and military figure who served as the Director-General of National Security of Algeria from 2010 to 2018.

Biography

Hamel was born on July 3, 1955, in

Sabra Sabra may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Sabra (character), a fictional Israeli female superhero in the Marvel Comics universe * Sabra (magazine), a Japanese magazine for men * ''Sabra Command'' the original title of the film ''Warhead'' * ...

, Algeria. He holds a degree in computer science from the National School of Computer Science and a master's degree in strategic studies and international studies. Hamel had a 37-year career in the

Algerian People's National Army The People's National Army (PNA) () is the military of the Algerian republic. It is the direct successor of the National Liberation Army (ALN), the armed wing of the nationalist National Liberation Front, which fought French colonial rule d ...

(ANP) in the

Gendarmerie Nationale Gendarmerie Nationale most commonly refers to: *Gendarmerie Nationale (France) * Gendarmerie Nationale (Belgium), merged with Belgian police in 2001 Gendarmerie Nationale may also refer to: * Gendarmerie Nationale (Algeria) * Gendarmerie National ...

. He served as chief of staff of the 6th Regional Command of the National Gendarmerie of

Tamanrasset Tamanrasset (; ), also known as Tamanghasset or Tamenghest, is an oasis city and capital of Tamanrasset Province in southern Algeria, in the Ahaggar Mountains. It is the chief city of the Algerian Tuareg. It is located at an altitude of . As of ...

and served in

Ghardaïa Ghardaïa (, ) is the capital city of Ghardaïa Province, Algeria. The commune of Ghardaïa has a population of 93,423 according to the 2008 census, up from 87,599 in 1998, with an annual growth rate of 0.7%. It is located in northern-central A ...

. He later served as the head of the public security division at the National Gendarmerie in

Algiers Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...

, and later regional commander of the National Gendarmerie in

Oran Oran () is a major coastal city located in the northwest of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria, after the capital, Algiers, because of its population and commercial, industrial and cultural importance. It is w ...

. He then served as the head of the border guard force between 2004 and 2005. In 2008, Hamel was promoted to the commander of

Republican Guard A republican guard, sometimes called a national guard, is a state organization of a country (often a republic, hence the name ''Republican'') which typically serves to protect the head of state and the government, and thus is often synonymous wit ...

Abdelaziz Bouteflika Abdelaziz Bouteflika (; ; 2 March 1937 – 17 September 2021) was an Algerian politician and diplomat who served as the seventh president of Algeria from 1999 to his resignation in 2019. Before his stint as an Algerian politician, Bouteflika s ...

. Hamel was also promoted to major general that year. He held the position of Republican Guard commander until 2010. On July 28, 2010, he was appointed head of the General Directorate of National Security (DGSN), Algeria's police force, succeeding Colonel

Ali Tounsi Ali Tounsi () (died February 25, 2010) was the Chief of Algeria's national police force between 1994 and 2010. He was shot dead in his office in Algiers by a senior police official, with whom he was arguing at the time. The official, said to be ...

. He was dismissed as head of the DGSN in 2018, being succeeded by Colonel Mustapha El-Habiri.

Illicit activities

On April 27, 2019, Hamel and his son were summoned by Algerian judicial authorities on the count of “illegal activities, influence peddling, misappropriation of land and misuse of office”. On July 4, 2019, Hamel and his son were summoned in a court in Sidi M'Hamed. The two were questioned by a prosecutor and imprisoned in El Harrach prison temporarily. Hamel was sentenced to 15 years in prison on April 1, 2020 along with a heavy fine for several corruption cases that occurred during his tenure. This was reduced to 12 years with an appeal. His children Amiar, Chafik, Mourad, and Chahinaz were sentenced to ten, eight, seven, and three years in prison respectively. These sentences were all reduced to eight, six, five, and one year respectively. Hamel's wife, Annani Salima, was sentenced to two years in prison. His family's assets were confiscated. In June 2020, Hamel was sentenced to 12 years in prison for "misappropriation of agricultural land and influence peddling", but this was declared null and void in April 2022. In another case, he was sentenced to four years in prison for "abuse of office and laundering public money for the financing of terrorist groups, under the guise of purchasing real estate" but he was acquitted in November 2021. In October 2020, during a case involving Bouteflika's daughter Nachinachi Zoulikha, Hamel was sentenced to ten years in prison. Hamel's assets were confiscated in 2021.

References

{{Reflist Living people 1955 births 21st-century Algerian politicians Algerian military personnel