The sons of former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh are being tried in Paris for laundering tens of millions of euros
Two sons of late Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh could face up to five years in prison as a Paris court hears charges against them for allegedly laundering tens of millions of euros in embezzled state funds and corruption proceeds.
The trial, which opened September 7 at the Paris Criminal Court, follows a 2019 investigation launched by France’s National Financial Prosecutor’s Office (PNF) based on a tip-off from Swiss authorities, the PNF confirmed to OCCRP on Wednesday.
Brothers Ahmed Ali Saleh, 54, and Khaled Ali Saleh, 39, are accused of laundering proceeds from corruption and laundering embezzled public funds as part of an organized criminal group. Both men are being tried in absentia and are believed to be residing in Dubai.
Their father, Ali Abdullah Saleh, ruled Yemen for 33 years until his ouster during the Arab Spring in 2012. The former president was accused of plundering billions in state funds throughout his long tenure to enrich his family and inner circle. He was killed by Houthi rebels in 2017.
Judicial investigations resulted in the seizure of more than 36,80 million euro ($42,45 million) in illicit assets, according to the PNF. The frozen assets include “seizures of bank accounts and of several real estate (apartments and private mansions in Paris).” The seized real estate alone is valued at 22,6 million euro (over $26 million), “plus a 10 million euro ($11,53 million) receivable representing the outstanding balance from the sale of one of the properties,” explained the press officer of the PNF.
French prosecutors are asking the court for a five-year prison sentence and an arrest warrant for Ahmed Ali Saleh. For his younger brother Khaled, the PNF requested a four-year prison term, also accompanied by an arrest warrant.
In addition to prison time, prosecutors requested the formal confiscation of two Paris real estate properties, $3 million held in Swiss bank accounts, and nearly 3 million euro ($3,5 million) held in real estate holding companies. The French prosecutor also requested prison sentences for two other co-defendants involved in the brothers’ alleged scheme.
A Sanaa-based NGO called the Awtad association has joined the case as a civil party, aiming to see the assets and money confiscated by the courts returned to the local population, France24 reported.
When contacted, the defense lawyers for the two brothers stated that their clients did not wish to comment.
However, the attorneys explained that, during the hearing, they emphasized that the prosecution’s case relies on fundamental weaknesses
"First, because the fraudulent origin of the funds invested in France has not been proven; it stems solely from vague, general allegations found in open sources, with no tangible evidence to corroborate them,” one of the defense lawyers explained. “Second, because our clients’ acquisition of real estate in France was carried out with total transparency and with the full knowledge of the French authorities.”