Algerian president's advisor resigns

Mohammed Betshin, the advisor of Algerian President Liamine Zeroual, presented his resignation suddenly.

Official sources stated that President Zeroual accepted the resignation of Betshin, who is considered Zeroual's probable successor.

Other sources said that Betshin's resignation could be due to the charges recently directed at him from one of his former assistants in the intelligence body, in which he was accused of corruption, exploiting his post to achieve private gains as well as supervising the torture of political activists in 1988.

Betshin's resignation comes one day after the resignation of Algerian Minister of Justice Mohammed Adami, as Algeria prepares to hold early presidential elections in February.

Betshin was a former head of Algeria's military intelligence body. He resigned and retired from the army in 1990.