ALGIERS (Reuters) - The son of an Algerian government minister allied to President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has been placed under criminal investigation over money-laundering allegations, a local newspaper reported on Monday.
The investigation, which has not been officially confirmed, follows a series of criminal cases against senior Algerian officials, some of whom have ties to Bouteflika.
Algeria's El Watan newspaper, quoting unnamed sources close to the case, said that justice officials were investigating an allegation that the son of Justice Minister Tayeb Belaiz was involved in laundering drug money. The paper did not make clear whether the allegation applied to current or past activity.
Contacted by Reuters, a spokeswoman for the Justice Ministry, which oversees judicial investigations, did not comment on the published report.
Representatives of the minister's son, who was not named in the newspaper report, could not be reached for comment.
It was not clear if Belaiz's son was in police custody.
Reuters Africa
