Algeria prosecutor seeks death penalty for son of former PM Benflis

In Algiers, prosecutors at the Criminal Court of Appeal have sought the death penalty for the son of Ali Benflis, former Prime Minister and presidential candidate, on charges of attempting to damage the "national economy" and engaging with a foreign nation. 

Initially, the public prosecutor had requested the death penalty during the preliminary trial, but it was reduced to a 15-year prison sentence. 

The accusations stem from an incident where Benflis's son, then a law firm owner, allegedly acquired confidential documents illicitly about the purchase of 15 aircraft from Air Algerie.