Special to WorldTribune.com

LONDON — The exiled uncle of Syrian President Bashar Assad has been under investigation in France.

French prosecutors have been investigating Rifat Assad on charges of stealing millions of dollars from Syria.

The investigation was prompted by an official complaint by two groups on Sept. 13 that questioned Rifat’s assets in France, his residence for more than 20 years.

“It is likely that all or part of the proceeds stem from corruption and related offenses,” the complaint said.

The complaint against the 76-year-old Assad, a former vice president, was filed by Sherpa and Transparency International France. The two groups said Assad, the uncle of Bashar and the right-hand man of his brother, Hafez until 1984, owns dozens of apartments in Paris and a 45 hectare estate outside the French capital.

William Bourdon, the attorney for TIF, said French authorities were
playing down the investigation. Bourdon said his organization had sought a
probe by a judge rather than by police.

The complaint said Rifat’s assets, registered under different names,
were worth more than $135 million. The two groups said the assets were not
supported by Rifat’s declared income.

“These discrepancies will have to be explained,” Bourdon said.

Rifat has long spoken out against the regime of his nephew. Over the
last few years, Rifat accused Bashar of corruption and converting Syria into
a proxy of Iran.

Sherpa and TIF have urged the French government to freeze Rifat’s
assets. The groups said France must not become a refuge for exiled despots.

Rifat’s attorney, Marcel Ceccaldi, has denied the accusations. In 2011,
Rifat maintained that he lost all of his money in the stock market.

  Assad’s exiled uncle faces financial corruption probe in France, Hafez Assad, Rifat Assad, Transparency International