The brother of Algeria’s deposed former president has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for conspiring against the state and undermining the military.

Said Bouteflika was widely seen as the real power behind the presidency after his brother, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, suffered a stroke in 2013.

Two former secret service chiefs and a political party head were also sentenced after the two-day trial.

President Bouteflika was ousted in April following pro-democracy protests.

The defendants were detained in May during a wave of arrests targeting the former president’s inner circle

The ailing ex-leader is currently in a residence west of Algiers, and is not expected to face trial, BBC Africa’s Ahmed Rouaba reports.

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