Syrian President Allows His Convicted Uncle To Return From Exile In France - Reports

Syrian President Bashar Assad has allowed his uncle, Rifaat Assad, who is sentenced to a prison term for money laundering in France to return to his homeland after decades in exile, the Al-Watan newspaper reported, citing sources

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 09th October, 2021) Syrian President Bashar Assad has allowed his uncle, Rifaat Assad, who is sentenced to a prison term for money laundering in France to return to his homeland after decades in exile, the Al-Watan newspaper reported, citing sources.

In September, the Paris Court of Appeal upheld the last year's court verdict to sentence Rifaat to four years of imprisonment for fraudulently creating assets in France worth 90 million Euros ($104.1 million) and embezzlement of Syrian government funds.

Assad allowed his uncle, the former vice president, to return to Syria to prevent his imprisonment, the newspaper said on Friday, noting that once in Syria, Rifaat will not take up any political or public role.

The uncle arrived in Damascus earlier this week.

Rifaat was ousted from Syria following an attempted coup in 1983. Despite the exile, he was appointed vice president in 1984 and held office until 1998.