Algeria bank fraud trial begins

Mr Khalifa did not attend the court in Blida, Algeria

A British-based Algerian businessman has gone on trial on charges relating to Algeria's biggest financial scandal.

Abdelmoumene Rafik Khalifa is among 104 co-defendants being tried in the Algerian city of Blida.

The case surrounds the 2003 collapse of Khalifa Bank and the disappearance of more than 3.2bn Algerian dinars ($45m; £23m) from the bank's accounts.

Mr Khalifa, who lives in the UK, is being tried in absentia. He is reported to have denied any wrongdoing.

Mr Khalifa has lived in Britain since 2003, but Algeria's ambassador to the UK said he believed the businessman could be deported in the coming weeks.

Flamboyant businessman

More than 90 of the defendants attended the first day of the trial in Blida, which is about 30 miles (48km) west of the capital Algiers.

The scandal shook Algeria's business community to the core.

At its height, the privately-run Khalifa Group owned an airline, two TV channels and several other companies as well as a leading bank, and was thought to have employed more than 20,000 people.

Mr Khalifa was renowned at the time for his flamboyant lifestyle, throwing parties for celebrities.

However, he fled Algeria after the company he created went bankrupt.

The 40-year-old is currently named on Interpol's wanted list.