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Rifaat Assad, on Trial for Fraud, Hospitalized in Paris

Rifaat Assad. (AP file photo)
Rifaat Assad. (AP file photo)
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Rifaat Assad, on Trial for Fraud, Hospitalized in Paris

Rifaat Assad. (AP file photo)
Rifaat Assad. (AP file photo)

Rifaat Assad, uncle of the Syrian regime leader, has been hospitalized in Paris while standing trial for money laundering, his son told AFP Tuesday.

"He has been in intensive care since last night (Monday)" at the American Hospital in Neuilly-sur-Seine west of Paris, Siwar al-Assad said.

Rifaat al-Assad suffered from a form of internal bleeding "and is not very well". He will need to stay in intensive care for two or three days.

The younger brother of the late Syrian president Hafez Assad -- father of the current president Bashar -- is standing trial in Paris for crimes allegedly committed between 1984 and 2016, including aggravated tax fraud and misappropriation of Syrian funds.

The charges relate to his vast property empire in France.

France's national finance prosecutor called Monday for a four-year prison sentence and a 10-million-euro fine.

The prosecutor also called for the confiscation of all his real estate, valued at 90 million euros ($99.5 million).

Rifaat al-Assad, who divides his time between France and Britain, denies the charges.

The 82-year-old, dubbed the "Butcher of Hama" for allegedly commanding troops who put down an uprising in central Syria in 1982, has been under investigation in France since 2014.

Formerly Syria's vice president, Assad left his home country in 1984 after mounting a failed coup against his brother Hafez, who led Syria from 1971 to 2000.

After he arrived in Europe, Rifaat al-Assad's lavish lifestyle, four wives and 16 children soon raised eyebrows.

His reported French fortune includes two Paris townhouses, one measuring 3,000 square meters (32,000 square feet), as well as a stud farm, a chateau and 7,300 square meters of office space in Lyon.

He and his family also built up a huge portfolio of 507 properties in Spain, valued at around 695 million euros, Spanish legal documents show. All his properties in that country were seized by the authorities in 2017.

Assad's trial opened on December 9.

This is only the second trial of a foreign dignitary in France on charges related to "ill-gotten gains".

In the first, Equatorial Guinea vice president Teodorin Obiang received a three-year suspended jail term in October 2017 after being convicted of using public money to fund a jet-set lifestyle in Paris.

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Arab World

Grundberg Hopes ‘Gaza Truce’ Will Revive the Peace Process in Yemen

Hans Grundberg, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen, briefs on Wednesday the Security Council on the situation in Yemen (UN)
Hans Grundberg, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen, briefs on Wednesday the Security Council on the situation in Yemen (UN)
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Grundberg Hopes ‘Gaza Truce’ Will Revive the Peace Process in Yemen

Hans Grundberg, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen, briefs on Wednesday the Security Council on the situation in Yemen (UN)
Hans Grundberg, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen, briefs on Wednesday the Security Council on the situation in Yemen (UN)

Hans Grundberg, the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, warned on Wednesday from the alarming escalation in Yemen that would have devastating humanitarian consequences for the Yemeni people.

In a briefing to the Security Council on the situation in the Middle East, Grundberg said a ceasefire in Gaza signals hope that a return to the peace process could materialize between the Yemeni government and Houthis.

The envoy’s briefing came after his talks with Yemeni, regional and international stakeholders across the region, during visits to Muscat, Sanaa, Tehran, and Riyadh to intensify engagements for a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

Grundberg has lately kicked off efforts to secure the release of all arbitrarily detained personnel from the United Nations, national and international organizations, diplomatic missions, and the private sector.

In his briefing, the envoy expressed concern over reports of a new wave of arbitrary detentions, which further exacerbates the suffering of families and undermines trust.

Grundberg mentioned the Houthi attacks on the ships in the Red Sea and said they hindered the prospects of peace.

He added that a ceasefire in Gaza signals hope that an opportunity to de-escalate could materialize.

The envoy said the escalating cycle of strikes and counterstrikes has hindered the prospects of peace and destabilized Yemen's economy, adding that the relative stability and improved security conditions for civilians that have existed since the 2022 truce could be lost.

In contrast to Grundberg's hopes for a revival of the peace process, many Yemenis fear the Houthis would ignite a new war against the Yemeni government, exploiting the popular sympathy with Palestine that has enabled the group to recruit tens of thousands over the past year.

In this regard, Grundberg said, “I am concerned that parties may reassess their options for peace and make miscalculations based on flawed assumptions.”

Escalation and Detainees

In his briefing, the envoy mentioned the damage caused by the Houthi attacks and the Israeli and Western strikes in Yemen.

“Recent Israeli airstrikes have damaged critical civilian infrastructure, including the port of Hodeidah and Sanaa International Airport,” he said, adding that the damage to the port and tugboats impacts the ability to unload humanitarian aid.

Grundberg said during his meetings in Sanaa, he again urged Houthis to immediately and unconditionally release all arbitrarily detained personnel from the United Nations, national and international organizations, diplomatic missions, and the private sector.

He further called on the Houthis to release the Galaxy Leader vessel and its 25-member crew, which have been unlawfully detained for over a year now.
He urged all parties to urgently take concrete steps towards achieving a nationwide ceasefire agreement in Yemen.

Elsewhere, Grundberg spoke about his office’s engagement in extensive dialogues with Yemeni parties at the technical level on economic and military issues.

“In our discussions, we explored how collaboration between the parties could unlock critical peace dividends. These include the unification of the central bank, the resumption of fossil fuel exports, and the full payment of public sector salaries,” he said.

Yemeni, US Statements

During Grundberg’s briefing, the representative of the United States, Dorothy Shea, said, “The time has come to respond to the growing global threats by holding Iran to account for enabling the Houthis long-range missile attacks on international shipping and Israel.”

She said the Houthis have expanded their campaign of detaining innocent Yemenis, targeting more former embassy staff simply trying to do their jobs.

She stressed the need to deprive the Houthis of illicit revenues that sustain their attacks and recognize the growing relationship between the Houthis and other terrorist groups like al-Shabaab.

Meanwhile, Abdullah Ali Fadhel Al-Saadi, Permanent Representative of Yemen to the United Nations, addresses the Security Council meeting on the situation in his country.

“The humanitarian and economic situation in Yemen is intolerable,” he said, adding that the government is eager to engage with all efforts to reach a political settlement.

Al-Saadi also called on the Security Council to assume its responsibilities and implement its decisions that end the Houthi coup based on agreed international references.