In response to the subpoena issued by a Syrian court against him yesterday, Abdel Halim Khaddam stated, “In fact, I have received nothing. I read in the newspapers that a lawsuit has been filed against me and 25 members of my family, including two-year-old children. This indicates that Bashar Al-Assad is in a very bad situation. He has lost his mind and is confused, knowing that the one who will be tried for corruption is Bashar Al-Assad and his family because this corruption has grown under the umbrella of the Al-Assad family since 1970. I am sure that very soon they will be tried and severely punished by the people.”
Khaddam, in statements to the BBC, challenged the regime to prove any charges of corruption against him. He said, “I challenge any real charge of corruption. I have already challenged Bashar Al-Assad to form a committee to investigate all corruption files in Syria since 1970. The committee should be headed by Sameh Ashour, the Bar Association in Egypt, with the membership of the Secretary General of the Arab Lawyers Union, the President of the Court of Cassation in Egypt, and an employee of the United Nations Anti-Corruption Commission. I am ready to appear before them and provide whatever information I have.”
According to the subpoena, Khaddam, his wife, and 23 members of his family must appear before the Banias Court in mid-next month. Khaddam will be tried in absentia if he does not respond to this memorandum.
Regarding the legality of the trial, the former Syrian Vice President stated, “There is no judiciary in Syria. The major crime committed by the regime in Syria is that it has abolished the independence of the judiciary and turned the judiciary into a security body used by the authority against him.” He denied the possibility of his appearance before the court, stating that it is linked to agencies and that he will not hire a lawyer to defend him because this court is illegal and the regime is illegal. He considered any decisions issued by them as worthless and their owners will be held accountable.
Khaddam explained that the purpose of this lawsuit is to seize his property and the property of his wife and children. For example, they are asking him to pay 60 million Syrian pounds for the water used by his house in the city of Baniyas, and the entire water project in that city did not cost this amount. Khaddam stressed that all those mentioned in the lawsuit live outside Syria.
It should be noted that the ruling Baath Party in Syria decided last December to expel Khaddam from its membership and demanded that he be tried for high treason, following an interview given by Khaddam to Al Arabia satellite channel that included explicit criticism of the Syrian leadership.
The Syrian People’s Assembly had also recommended that Khaddam be tried for high treason. His deputies accused Khaddam of treason and working for the enemies of Syria. They demanded that he be tried before the people, and his name be removed from the lists of the Bar Association. They considered his statements to be part of the pressure exerted on Syria.
Khaddam had made unprecedented criticism of the Syrian leadership, stating that they made a series of mistakes. He also mentioned that he has many serious things to say at the right time.
During the interview in Paris, Khaddam revealed that former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri received numerous threats from Syria and the Syrian president personally before his assassination in Beirut in February 2005. He emphasized that Hariri was summoned to Damascus while he was leading the government in Lebanon, and Assad addressed him with very harsh words.
