Members of Syria's ruler: Assad family is in Spain for money laundering

Numerous members of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad are expected to go to the dock in Spain for over € 600 million in money laundering. In addition to 82-year-old ex-vice-president Rifaat al-Assad (uncle of the current ruler Bashar al-Assad), who lives in exile in France and the United Kingdom, eight of his children and two of his wives of the money laundering and participation in a Accused of criminal union (learn more about the Assad family).

A judge at the National Court of Justice in Madrid proposed on Friday to conclude his investigation to initiate criminal proceedings against Rifaat al-Assad and against 13 others. The prosecution has ten days to request the opening of the trial.

Rifaat al-Assad had to leave Syria in 1984 after a coup attempt against his brother Hafis, the long-time ruler of Syria and father of the current president. Rifaat himself was a long-time leader of the country, where he is blamed as the commander of elite troops for multiple atrocities. He later rejected all responsibility for this.

Second largest private residential property in the UK

According to the indictment, the group led by Rifaat al-Assad is said to have 507 properties worth a total of 695 million euros in Spain. For this purpose, they should have paid above all with public money that had been misappropriated in Syria. The organization has been active since the eighties, especially in the province of Málaga in southern Spain, according to the Justice Communication.

The group is said to have done similar business for years in other European countries with the help of dummy companies. For example, Rifaat al-Assad in the UK has, among other things, after Buckingham Palace's largest private residential property. He or the family organization he cited include a Boeing 727 aircraft, several armored luxury vehicles and three ships.

The justification of the family al-Assad, the money came from gifts and donations from Saudi Arabia, the investigating judge José de la Mata, according to the official data does not apply. It has been determined that this is not true, it was said.

Rifaat al-Assad is already running a lawsuit in France - and in Switzerland, he is being investigated for crimes against humanity, according to the Spanish judiciary.