Syrian President Assad's uncle jailed for money laundering

The uncle of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has been sentenced to four years in prison by a Paris court for laundering money to build a French property portfolio.

Rifaat al-Assad was convicted of embezzling Syrian state funds to buy homes and offices worth €90m (£76m).

The 82-year-old former vice-president denies any wrongdoing. His lawyers say he will appeal.

His property assets in Paris and London will be seized, the court ruled.

The uncle of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Rifat al-Assad has lived in exile since he unsuccessfully tried to seize power from his brother, Hafez, in 1984.

He is known as the "Butcher of Hama" by some Syrians because of his alleged role in the bloody suppression of an uprising in the city in 1982, but has denied any responsibility for the massacre.

After the outbreak of Syria's civil war in 2011 he called on his nephew to step down.