Rifaat al-Assad, uncle of ousted Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, secretly managed a vast European property empire worth hundreds of millions of euros through a Guernsey consultant, according to an investigation by the Guardian and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism. Rifaat, known as the “Butcher of Hama” for overseeing the 1982 massacre of an estimated 20,000 people, has been accused of war crimes and was convicted in France in 2020 for embezzling Syrian state funds.
The consultant, Ginette Louise Blondel, was fined £210,000 and banned from directorships for nine years by the Guernsey Financial Services Commission in March. Regulators found Blondel, originally hired as a personal assistant, managed a complex trust structure for Rifaat’s family. She reportedly used her personal bank account to transfer €1 million on his behalf.
Rifaat’s European wealth remains frozen under orders in the UK, Spain, and France. Seized assets include luxury properties worth €90 million. Calls to repatriate funds to aid vulnerable Syrians have intensified, with NGOs such as Trial International and Sherpa urging European governments to ensure restitution for the victims of Assad regime atrocities.
The collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime this month, following rebel control of Damascus, casts uncertainty over Rifaat’s future. Now 86, it is unclear if he has joined exiled family members granted asylum in Moscow.
The case highlights the role of tax havens like Guernsey in shielding the wealth of individuals accused of severe human rights abuses.
