(Photo: Agencies)

ALGIERS, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Algeria's supreme court on Thursday ordered to place under custody the former justice minister Tayeb Louh over charges of fraud and abuse of power, according to the official news agency APS.

Louh was heard by the examining magistrate as he is prosecuted for abuse of power, obstruction of justice, inciting to falsify official documents and involvement in bias.

According to a statement by the public prosecutor, Louh was placed under custody as part of the wide-scale crackdown on corruption launched by the supreme court.

On Aug. 8, the Court of Algiers announced the start of a preliminary probe against Louh over acts punishable by law, as he was stripped of his passport and banned from leaving the country.

Louh had been justice minister under the regime of ousted president Abdelaziz Bouteflika from 2013 to 2019.

Several former government senior officials, including two former prime ministers, namely Abdelmalek Sellal and Ahmed Ouyahia, were already placed under custody.

This series of judicial investigations come amid popular protests rocking the North African nation since Feb. 22 as the demonstrators denounced ill governance and corruption and demanded enhancing the rule of law and bringing all those involved in squandering of public funds before justice.