The Daily Mail: Where Assad and his family will live in Moscow and how much is their wealth?
The Daily Mail newspaper revealed, quoting the US State Department, that the wealth of the family of former Syrian President Bashar al Assad amounts to two billion dollars, hidden in many accounts, fictitious companies, and real estate portfolios.
The British newspaper says that the former Syrian president, his British wife Asma al Assad and their three children are now starting a new life in Russia after being granted asylum.
According to the Daily Mail, Asma spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on home furnishings and clothing during her husband’s reign, and they are now likely to rely on their family connections and extensive assets in Moscow in the hope of maintaining their comfortable lifestyle in exile.
In 2012, WikiLeaks revealed private correspondence from Asma, which showed that she spent $350,000 on palace furniture and $7,000 on crystal-encrusted shoes.
The Daily Mail revealed that the Assad family has bought at least 20 apartments in Moscow worth more than 30 million pounds in recent years, which shows Russia’s status as a safe haven for the family.
In order to keep tens of millions of dollars out of Syria as the country’s civil war rages, the family has bought at least 18 luxury apartments in the City of Capitals complex, located in Moscow’s glittering skyscraper district, according to the Financial Times.
The Daily Mail reports that the two-tower skyscraper in Moscow – which until the unveiling of the Shard in London in 2012 was the tallest building in Europe – is home to some of Russia’s richest businessmen, government ministries, five-star hotels and multinational corporations, and the ostentatious building could now become home to the Assad family as they begin a new life in exile.
Photos of the apartments in the complex show luxurious furnishings and upscale furnishings, as well as panoramic views of Moscow.
Reports suggest Assad could have fled via Russia’s Hmeimim air base, with flight trackers showing a Russian plane taking off near the northeastern city of Latakia just hours before he was reported in Moscow.
