The British wife of overthrown Syrian dictator Bash al-Assad has filed for divorce, according to reports. Asma al-Assad, 49, is currently exiled in Moscow with the former Damascus tyrant but wants to move to London.
The ex-first lady is reportedly dissatisfied with her life under guard of the Putin regime in Russia. According to The Mirror, reports suggest she has applied to Russian officials for permission to leave the country for the UK.
Reports have emerged from The Jerusalem Post, citing Turkish and Arab media sources. It is understood Russian courts are currently reviewing her application.
The former ruler and his family are believed to be under “severe restrictions” in Moscow, with Assad banned from leaving the city or engaging in political activities. Russian authorities have reportedly frozen the dictators assets and money.
Assad is said to have moved around 270 kilograms of gold and £1.6million to Moscow when he fled Syria. He or his clan are believed to own dozens of apartments in the Russian capital.
Wife Asma was born in London and raised in the UK capital by Syrian parents. The family was offered a safe haven by Vladimir Putin who came to the rescue of the toppled Syrian leader on December 8, shortly before his country fell into the hands of rebels.
There has been so far no comment on the divorce reports from the Russian authorities or from al-Assad or his wife. Asma was born in London and was raised in London by Syrian parents. The family was offered a safe haven by Vladimir Putin who spirited the toppled president out of Syria 8 December shortly before his country fell into the hands of rebels.
Asma and the couple’s three children were already in Russia. The tyrant’s wife is reportedly undergoing treatment for acute myeloid leukaemia, an aggressive form of blood and bone marrow cancer. According to some reports she would prefer to be treated in the UK.
In Moscow, the Assad clan is linked to luxury properties in both the 990ft City of Capitals complex and the nearby 1,226ft Federation Tower. His extended family own dozens of properties here and elsewhere in Moscow, but it is believed the family now resides in official Russian government accommodation.
One week before al-Assad’s loss of power, the couple’s eldest son Hafez Bashar al-Assad, 23, had been in Russia defending his thesis at Moscow State University. His mother Asma, 49, had celebrated with him in Russia when he was awarded his degree at the same university last year.
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