PARIS: The uncle of Syrian President Bashar Assad is going on trial in Paris, accused of illegally using Syrian state funds to build a French real estate empire.
Rifaat Assad, a former Syrian vice president and brother to longtime leader Hafez Assad, has lived in Europe since his exile from Syria following a failed coup attempt in the 1980s.
Watchdog organizations filed a complaint in Paris in 2014 charging that the value of his French real estate holdings — some 90 million euros ($99.5 million) — far exceeds his known income.
French authorities have been probing his finances since then, and an investigating judge ordered him earlier this year to stand trial for money laundering.
Rifaat Assad denies the charges “completely,” Cedric Anthony-Btesh, a representative of the family, told The Associated Press on Monday.
The trial kicks off Monday afternoon. The 82-year-old will not appear in court himself for medical reasons, Anthony-Btesh said.
Syrian president’s uncle faces Paris money laundering trial
Syrian president’s uncle faces Paris money laundering trial
- Watchdog organizations filed a complaint in Paris in 2014 charging that the value of his French real estate holdings exceeds his income
- The 82-year-old will not appear in court himself for medical reasons
Federal cabinet authorized joining Gaza Board of Peace, says Pakistan PM
- Shehbaz Sharif, along with various world leaders, signed Donald Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ charter this week in Davos
- The global body led by US President Trump seeks to end conflicts worldwide, including the one in Gaza
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said this week that the federal cabinet gave the green signal for Pakistan to join US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace (BoP) body after holding consultations on the matter.
Sharif, along with the representatives of 18 other countries including Saudi Arabia, UAE, Türkiye, Indonesia, Qatar and others, signed the BoP’s charter with Trump during the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) summit in Davos on Thursday.
The Board brings together participating states and stakeholders seeking to support dialogue, stability and peace-related initiatives linked to the ongoing crisis in Gaza. However, Pakistani opposition parties have criticized the government for not holding consultations before joining the Trump-led initiative.
“Pakistan received the invitation for the Board of Peace on which the cabinet, after consultations, gave the authorization to join,” Sharif told reporters outside the Pakistan High Commission in London on Saturday.
He said the government had decided to join the global body with the hope that it would establish peace in Gaza and aid in the territory’s reconstruction.
The same was said by Sharif’s adviser on political and public affairs, Rana Sanaullah, while he spoke to a private news channel on Saturday.
Sanaullah said the cabinet held discussions on whether the government should join the BoP and endorsed the move to do so.
“The development happened in the past week to 10 days,” Sanaullah told private news channel Geo News.
“Based on this, the government signed after consultations with the cabinet. I know this, I was in that consultation.”
Trump has shared few details about the BoP, a body of world leaders formed under his leadership to end global conflicts including the one in Gaza.
Chaired by Trump, the board would include US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, former British prime minister Tony Blair and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
