France Weighs Action Against Algerian Officials Holding Real Estate on Its Soil
A list of 20 high-ranking Algerian figures with assets in France may be targeted if tensions escalate, as Paris sharpens its legal tools to deter foreign interference.
France is preparing potential financial sanctions against top Algerian officials owning assets in the country, as diplomatic relations worsen.
Watan-The French magazine L’Express has revealed that France’s Ministries of Economy and Interior are studying the possibility of imposing financial sanctions on a group of Algerian officials who own property or financial interests in France. This move may be activated in the event of a new escalation between the two countries.
According to the report, a list has already been prepared including around twenty prominent figures, all of whom hold high positions in Algeria’s administrative, security, or political institutions while also possessing real estate or financial assets in France. A government source cited by the magazine estimated that 801 members of Algeria’s elite—not including military personnel—have financial interests in France and travel there regularly.
France Weighs Asset Freezes as Diplomatic Weapon in Algerian Standoff
The French government reportedly views the list of 20 names as a final pressure tool in its diplomatic negotiations with Algiers. L’Express noted that this follows France’s suspension on May 16 of a 2007 agreement that allowed holders of diplomatic passports to travel freely between the two countries without a visa.
This marked the first implementation of a warning previously issued by France’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the latest chapter in a series of tit-for-tat measures between Paris and Algiers.
France Algeria relations
France plans to make the “List of 20” public if Algeria carries out new hostile actions. “It would be similar to what was done with Russian oligarchs,” said the same government source—though unlike Russia, asset freezes on Algerians would not be governed by EU sanctions, but by French national law.
Since 2006, French law has allowed the Ministers of Economy and Interior to freeze the assets of individuals linked to terrorist groups. However, L’Express quotes asset-freezing attorney Renaud de La Garde as saying: “It’s highly unlikely that the terrorism clause would apply in the Algerian case. The more likely justification would be protecting national interests.”
Algeria-France diplomatic Tensions
France’s New Legal Tool Targets Alleged Algerian Interference Without Naming Names
De La Garde pointed to a new article of French monetary and financial law (L562-1), effective since July 25, 2024, under the Foreign Interference Act, which allows asset freezes for actions defined as “interference”—acts committed on behalf of or at the request of a foreign power, which aim to harm the nation’s core interests.
According to the lawyer, this legal basis may allow the French government to freeze the property and bank accounts of certain Algerian officials for renewable six-month periods. However, as with any administrative measure, the government must justify such actions with clear evidence of deliberate harm to French interests.
This could theoretically target individuals involved in Algeria’s intelligence hierarchy—especially those implicated in the case of whistleblower Amir Boukhors, or officials responsible for denying consular travel permits. Yet, L’Express stresses that the real intent behind this deterrent is never to publish the list—as doing so could represent a serious diplomatic rupture between the two countries.
