France Sentences Syrian Leader’s Uncle for Money Laundering

Rifaat Assad, the exiled uncle of Syrian President Bashar Assad speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in his office in Marbella, southern Spain, on May 27, 2005. Paul White/AP Photo

PARIS—An uncle of Syrian President Bashar Assad was sentenced to four years in prison in France on Thursday for illegally using Syrian state funds to build a French real estate empire.

The anti-corruption groups that launched the legal proceedings against Rifaat Assad hailed the Paris court’s ruling as a new victory in long-running efforts to prosecute foreign leaders accused of hiding stolen money in France.