Paris: 34 social housing units inaugurated on former land belonging to the al-Assad family, in the 16th arrondissement

Thirty-four social housing units were inaugurated on Wednesday in Paris on land that belonged to Rifaat al-Assad, the uncle of the Syrian president, in one of the most upscale neighborhoods in western Paris.

The City of Paris was pleased to have been able to acquire this “ill-gotten” asset by Rifaat Al-Assad, following a court decision, in 2015.

“It is a building with a particular history.

We became the owner of this wasteland by expropriation, ”said Ian Brossat, deputy mayor of Paris in charge of housing, on the spot.

On Twitter, he does not hide his pleasure: "What a joy to inaugurate them"

In 2015: a wasteland in the 16th property of Bashar el Assad's uncle.

Today: 34 social housing thanks to the expropriation decided by the City of Paris and the @_RIVP_.

What a pleasure to inaugurate them!

https://t.co/OdUFIWOVdQ

— Ian Brossat (@IanBrossat) June 29, 2022

On a 780m² plot, in the very chic 16th arrondissement, 34 social housing units and a crèche have been built on the former wasteland.

The mayor of Paris had launched an extremely rare expropriation procedure.

It had paid 9.5 million euros in expropriation compensation to Caisse des Dépôts.

The total cost of the work amounts to 6 million euros, indicated Ian Brossat.

These social housing units were delivered to the beneficiaries at the end of March 2022. Most of them had been waiting for years for access to social housing.

“I had been waiting for 26 years.

I'm happy but we have to get used to it”, testified anonymously a tenant interviewed, adding: “We have the impression that we are intruders.

People look at us strangely”.

"Mixing several backgrounds and social categories"

“The objective of this project was to integrate and mix several backgrounds and social categories”, underlined Ian Brossat, according to which the percentage of social housing in the 16th arrondissement “increased from 1% in 2001 to 6% in 2022. ″.

In September 2021, the 84-year-old former vice-president of Syria Rifaat al-Assad was found guilty by the Paris Court of Appeal of laundering in an organized gang and embezzling Syrian public funds between 1996 and 2016. .

The court had ordered the confiscation of all of his fraudulently acquired real estate, valued at 90 million euros, and had also condemned him for laundering aggravated tax fraud and for the concealed work of domestic employees.

The Court of Cassation will examine on September 7 the appeal filed by Rifaat al-Assad.

In this case, two mansions, dozens of apartments, an estate with a castle and stud farm as well as offices had been seized.