Assad's assets in the UK revealed: '55 million pound' claim

It has been alleged that former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has a personal fortune of over 55 million pounds (2.4 billion TL) in a London bank account.

According to a report by Sözcü, this money is said to be only a small fraction of the 163 million pounds (7.2 billion TL) in total assets held by Assad, his family, and his allies in British banks.

Court documents from 2011 recorded that approximately 40 million pounds were identified in Assad's HSBC account in London. These funds were frozen under UK sanctions imposed on the Assad regime for suppressing protests prior to the Syrian Civil War in 2011.

Assets frozen under sanctions cannot be used as they have not been removed from the owner's possession. Furthermore, it is alleged that this account has grown even larger as it continues to accrue annual interest.

The UK has also seized a six-story mansion in Mayfair worth 32.8 million dollars belonging to Assad's uncle, Rifaat al-Assad.

A SMALL FRACTION OF ASSAD'S WEALTH

Beyond this wealth, it is alleged that Bashar al-Assad possesses assets worth 12.5 billion pounds, including 200 tons of gold, real estate worldwide, and a vast business network extending beyond the Middle East.

Calls have been made in the UK for these funds to be returned to the victims of the Assad regime. Former Conservative Party leader Iain Duncan Smith said, "It is now time for the UK government to take definitive steps to support the victims of the regime in Syria."

Former Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell stated that Assad's assets should be immediately frozen and a process for returning them to the Syrian people should be initiated.

Razan Rashidi from the human rights group The Syria Campaign said these funds belong to the Syrian people. Rashidi stated, "The millions of pounds in British banks belong to the Syrian people. The money in these banks was accumulated at the cost of thousands of lives. These funds should be used to address the humanitarian crises in Syria."

The human rights group Redress also stated that these funds belong to the victims in Syria and that the UK government holding onto them would mean profiting from crimes against humanity.

IS REDISTRIBUTION POSSIBLE?

The Proceeds of Crime Act, passed in the UK in 2002, could be a tool for using Assad's wealth for the Syrian people. This law covers the seizure of proceeds of crime by the state and their appropriate distribution.

Rashidi said, "These bank accounts belong to Syrians who have suffered greatly at the hands of the regime. Justice must be served, and this wealth should be spent to meet the humanitarian needs of the Syrian people."