A French court on Wednesday sentenced the uncle of Bashar Assad to four years in prison for money laundering and the misappropriation of Syrian public funds for his own benefit.
The court in Paris also ordered the confiscation of his property portfolio in France, worth an estimated 90 million euros ($100 million), and a London property worth 29 million euros.
The verdict coincided with the start of the implementation of the Caesar Act which took effect on Wednesday under which the United States significantly tightened the economic sanctions on the Assad regime and his enablers for their brutal actions in Syria.
The individuals the Caesar Act targets, in addition to Bashar al-Assad, Asmaa Al-Akhras, Maher al-Assad, Muhammad Hamsho, Ghassan Bilal, Samer Dana, Bushra al-Assad, Manal al-Assad, Ahmed Hamsho, Amr Hamsho, Ali Hamsho, Rania Dabbas, Sumaya Hamsho.
French investigations against Rifa’at Al-Assad, also known as the Butcher of Hama, begun in 2014 with the first charges made in 2016 including money laundering and misappropriation of Syrian public funds. (SOC’s Media Department)
