Assad’s Wife ‘Could Face Jail Sentence After Shopping Spree’
Asma al-Assad, the British-born wife of Syria’s president, could be liable for a two-year prison sentence because her online shopping sprees may have broken financial sanctions imposed on her husband, a senior lawyer claimed.
Mrs Assad’s liking for goods from Harrods, along with boutique furniture-makers and Parisian jewellers, has been disclosed by emails purporting to be from her account.
But her husband, Bashar al-Assad, appears as number one on a list of 114 Syrians subjected to European Union financial sanctions. These measures, imposed on Syrian officials held responsible for “brutal repression”, freeze any assets owned by targeted individuals in EU member states.
Crucially, they prohibit EU citizens making “funds or economic resources” available to anyone named on the list.
If Mrs Assad has retained her British citizenship, she would risk breaking the law by purchasing an asset for the benefit - whether direct or indirect - of her husband. Holding dual Syrian-British nationality would make no difference. Only if she has formally renounced her British citizenship, or if she could demonstrate that the items were exclusively for her benefit, would she be exempt from prosecution. Mrs Assad, who was born in London and lived in Britain until the age of 25, is not known to have renounced her British passport.
“Assuming that Asma al-Assad is a British citizen, she must comply with the EU asset freeze in place against her husband notwithstanding the fact that she lives in Syria,” said Nigel Kushner, chief executive of Whale Rock Legal, a law firm which advises on sanctions compliance.
“That means she must not make available any funds or economic resources of any kind to - or for the benefit of - her husband, whether directly or indirectly. The definition of ‘economic resources’ is wide and would include the kind of luxury items that Mrs Assad appears to have been ordering online.”