The trial of Syrian President Bashar Assad's uncle, who is accused of illegally using Syrian state funds to build a French real estate empire, opened Monday in Paris.
The trial opened five years after Transparency International and French anti-corruption group Sherpa filed a complaint charging Rifaat al-Assad with using shell companies in tax havens to launder public funds from Syria into France.
The 82-year-old was excused from the proceedings for medical reasons.
First published: 21:49, 12.09.19