The Dark Narrative: Algeria’s Allegations Against UAE’s Dubious Dealings
Watan-During the era of the late President Bouteflika, the UAE described Algeria as spoiled. This was not out of love for Algeria, but because it served as a fertile ground for them for plunder and corruption, with the participation of Bouteflika himself and his gang that ruled the country.
The strong relations between the UAE and Saïd Bouteflika, the brother of the former president and his special advisor, facilitated several projects handed over to the UAE, notably the “Dounia Park” project.
Negotiations regarding the project began between the Algerian government and the UAE in 2006, with the agreement and licensing occurring in 2010, in the form of a concession contract lasting 33 years, renewable three times, extending the contract period to 99 years.
The “Dounia Park” project was not isolated from projects characterized by corruption, lack of transparency, and the absence of numbers for Algerians, remaining without accountability.
The Algerian government allocated about a thousand acres for the “Dounia Park” project, which was supposed to include a park, hotels, markets, skyscrapers, sports facilities, and an amusement city.
However, the promises of the UAE company to change the face of the Algerian capital through the “Dounia Park” project, and the rest of the projects presented by the UAE-based “Emaar” company, were nothing but a publicity stunt covering corruption deals.
The UAE company exploited the concession contract and the lack of clear terms from the Algerian authorities, making changes and redesigning to complete 20,000 housing units on the project’s land, benefiting from owning it.
Until 2015, the “Dounia Park” project remained in its initial stage of completion, entering a stalemate, and the UAE company completely halted the project after the Algerian government refused to grant permits for the construction of luxury apartments, villas, and facilities, which were not previously agreed upon.
The UAE company entered into a dispute with the Algerian government, taking advantage of President Bouteflika’s absence from the scene due to illness and political disarray.
The Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika
The late Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika enjoyed good relations with the UAE. In 2017, the Algerian authorities officially decided to cancel the “Dounia Park” project in the “Great Wind Farm” area of the capital.
According to sources from the former Algerian government quoted by Al Jazeera, the “Dounia Park” deal with the UAE parties caused losses to the public treasury estimated at six billion dollars by the end of 2019, losses expected to increase by a billion dollars each year in the form of compensation.
Thus, the gang of Mohammed bin Zayed exploited its relations with the late President Bouteflika to win the project, and afterward, exploited it to plunder Algeria after paying billions in compensation.
