French jail term confirmed for uncle of Syria’s al-Assad
Al Jazeera
Court confirms last year’s four-year prison sentence against 84-year-old Rifaat al-Assad, which he may not have to serve given his advanced age.
A French court has reportedly upheld a guilty verdict against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s uncle for misappropriating public funds in Syria, laundering the spoils and building a vast property portfolio in France with ill-gotten gains. AFP news agency reported on Thursday that the Paris appeals court had confirmed a four-year jail sentence for Rifaat al-Assad, although the 84-year-old former military commander is unlikely to serve time because of his age. The ruling, however, clears the way for all of Rifaat al-Assad’s property in France, estimated to be worth about 90 million euros ($106m), to be seized, as ordered by the lower court in June last year.More Related News