Assad cousin wins case to unfreeze Swiss millions

A cousin of Syria’s President Bashar Assad has won a legal bid to unfreeze (euro) 3 million ($4 million) held in bank accounts in Switzerland after convincing a Swiss court that the money had already been promised as part of a property deal before it was blocked. The decision last month by Switzerland’s top criminal court is a victory for Hafez Makhlouf, who was added to a Swiss government sanctions list in September in response to Syria’s brutal crackdown on opposition protesters. The verdict was first reported Thursday by Swiss news website 20min.ch and is available online. Switzerland has blocked some 50 million Swiss francs ($55 million) linked to senior regime officials, including Assad. The sanctions notice on Makhlouf says he is “involved in violence against demonstrators” and close to Assad’s younger brother Maher, believed to be leading the crackdown against the opposition. The U.N. estimates more than 5,400 people have died in the crackdown over the past year. Makhlouf lost a legal bid to gain entry to Switzerland last year to meet with his lawyer over the sanctions case. But in the latest verdict, the Federal Criminal Court agreed with Makhlouf’s argument that the money he held in four Geneva bank accounts was designated for a property purchase in Syria made in April 2011, five months before the funds were frozen. The Swiss Federal Prosecutors Office said in an email Thursday that it would not appeal the decision to Switzerland’s supreme court. Makhlouf’s Swiss lawyer, Eric Hess, declined to comment.