Since the implementation of anti-speculation and anti-monopoly laws on locally manufactured cars in Algeria, dozens have been arrested in several provinces across the country. The first was Annaba, followed by Oum El Bouaghi, then M’Sila, and the list grows daily.
The most recent case occurred in Oum El Bouaghi, eastern Algeria, where three people were arrested on charges of speculating on new Fiat Panorama cars. Five individuals are currently at large and are being sought by security services. This is not the first case, as other individuals have been arrested on the same charge.
The anti-monopoly and speculation cases reported by Algerian security forces are similar and share one element: the complicity of the authorized car dealer of Fiat Algeria, who sells new cars to brokers.
Investigations have shown that the sale of new Fiat Panorama cars to brokers is often carried out through bribery, forgery, and favoritism. Furthermore, the cars are not sold according to the order order, as brokers take their new cars without waiting.
The complicity of authorized Fiat car dealers, who sell new cars to brokers, raises many questions about the extent to which equality is applied among customers. Data published by Algerian security forces shows that brokers receive more than one car, while the average customer waits for months without receiving their new car.
It appears that brokers are the ones who receive the lion’s share of new Fiat cars, according to local media reports. These reports revealed that the majority of the defendants arrested by Algerian security forces had previously purchased a new car, a violation of the law that requires citizens to purchase only one new Fiat car.
The issue of new cars seems unlikely to end anytime soon, and perhaps never. The reason is the government’s import ban. Furthermore, the greed of brokers and the lack of punishment have led many people to consider ways to circumvent the laws, which often contain loopholes that allow violators to escape punishment.
