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Rifaat el-Assad, the uncle of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad sued in France for embezzlement of Syrian public money ARAB NEWS NETWORK / AFP

This Monday, December 9 opens the trial of Rifaat el-Assad in Paris. Aged 81, the uncle of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is being prosecuted in France for ill-gotten gains thanks to the misappropriation of Syrian public money.

Exiled since 1985 in France, Rifaat el-Assad is the first of the Assad dynasty to be tried in court. After wanting to take power in Syria in 1984, he was forced into exile and moved to France with his suite of 200 people. To ensure his lifestyle and that of his family and friends, Rifaat al-Assad, always explained to have generously received $ 10 million from King Abdullah of Arabia.

An important real estate capital in France

But after five years of investigation following a complaint filed by the association Sherpa, investigators have trouble understanding how Rifaat el-Assad has built his heritage . In France alone, it amounts to 90 million euros and includes mansions in Paris, a building plot in the 16th arrondissement or offices in Lyon.

Bashar al-Assad's uncle is suspected of having diverted Syrian public money, money then laundered through many front companies before being invested in stone. Rifaat al-Assad is being prosecuted for organized crime laundering of proceeds of crime, misuse of tax evasion and aggravated tax evasion.