Illicitly acquired assets: Up to five years in prison sought for two sons of the former Yemeni president

The French National Financial Prosecutor's Office in Paris has requested prison sentences of four and five years for Ahmed and Khaled Saleh. The two sons of former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh are suspected of having invested funds in luxury real estate in France that the prosecution alleges were misappropriated from public funds.

The French National Financial Prosecutor's Office (PNF) has requested prison sentences of four and five years for Ahmed and Khaled Saleh, two sons of former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh. Both are suspected of having participated in laundering funds allegedly embezzled by their father in France.

The two defendants currently reside in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and the prosecution has also requested arrest warrants for them. The National Financial Prosecutor's Office (PNF) is also seeking the confiscation of several luxury properties located in Paris's Golden Triangle, as well as several million euros seized from bank accounts.

Real estate acquisitions at the heart of the matter

According to the prosecution, the investments made in Paris could not have been financed solely by the official income of the former Yemeni head of state. With an estimated annual salary of $15.300, or approximately €13.250, Ali Abdullah Saleh would have needed to accumulate several centuries' worth of salary to acquire the properties in question, particularly in the 8th ^{arrondissement} of Paris.

The prosecution relied in particular on the work of a United Nations expert group that estimated the former president's fortune at between $32 and $60 billion. The prosecution believes this money originated from systemic corruption and the embezzlement of public funds, before being laundered in some twenty countries.

These accusations relate to funds that were allegedly siphoned from Yemen, a country that is among the poorest in the world.

Ahmed and Khaled Saleh suspected of having organized the investments

Ahmed Saleh, 54, had long been presented as his father's potential successor. A former commander of the Republican Guard, he had been appointed Yemen's ambassador to the United Arab Emirates after the fall of the regime.

During questioning, he claimed that the funds used came from gifts given by other Gulf heads of state, explaining that "giving and receiving is part of our culture ." However, the National Financial Prosecutor's Office (PNF) emphasized that no evidence had been produced to substantiate the existence of these gifts.

His younger brother, Khaled Saleh, 39, who also served in the Yemeni Republican Guard, is presented by the prosecution as a key player in the money laundering scheme. He allegedly took over after his older brother's assets were frozen internationally.

Two other defendants targeted by the prosecution's demands

The PNF also requested three years in prison, with immediate incarceration, against Mohamed A., in charge of managing the family's assets in France and presented as Ahmed Saleh's financial advisor.

Against Chainez C., described as the director of operations, the public prosecutor has requested a two-year suspended prison sentence, a fine of 50.000 euros and a ban on working in the real estate sector.

The main requests of the PNF

Four and five years in prison for Ahmed and Khaled Saleh;
arrest warrants against the two brothers, who live in Dubai;
the confiscation of Parisian real estate and seized funds;
three years in prison with immediate incarceration for the asset manager in France;
two years suspended sentence and 50.000 euros fine against the alleged director of operations.

These sentences were requested by the prosecution; it is now up to the court to render its decision. The defendants remain presumed innocent until a final conviction has been handed down.

A legacy built up during Ali Abdullah Saleh's 33 years in power

Ali Abdullah Saleh ruled Yemen for 33 years. He was forced to leave power in 2012, after more than a year of popular protests in the context of the Arab Spring.

The former president was subsequently killed in December 2017 by Houthi rebels, with whom he had formed an alliance before breaking away. The Paris trial must now determine whether part of his alleged fortune was laundered in France through his sons and their associates.