LDuring his hearing by Judge Ali Torchi, president of the criminal chamber, the witness accused of false testimony, known by the identifier “Boufelja B.”, admitted to having been asked by Bioui to provide a false statement implicating Abdellatif B. , the brother of Bioui's ex-wife. The objective of this maneuver would have been to put pressure on the latter so that it would withdraw a complaint filed against the former regional president.
In court, Boufelja B. expressed her remorse: “I made a mistake, Your Honor, and I know that perjury is one of the greatest sins, especially since I did not witness the incident of the beatings and assaults against Benmoussa (brother of Bioui's ex-wife, editor's note)”, he said. He also added that he was unaware that the person concerned by his testimony was linked to Bioui's ex-wife until his recent incarceration.
Returning to the facts, he explained that Bioui, whom he knew as a friend of his father, had approached him in a café to ask him for this testimony, describing it as “simple acts” which would be limited to a statement to the police.
A second accused, identified as “Rachid H.”, was also questioned on similar charges. However, the latter denied any involvement in an orchestrated plan. He said he testified about an incident he observed — an altercation between the brother of Bioui's ex-wife and another person, “Issam EA,” without knowing the underlying motivations, adding that he had never received a promise of payment or met the people likely to have set up this affair.
