[STANDARD.CO.UK] Britannia's top law enforcement body has launched an attempt to seize thousands of pounds of suspected illicit cash from the niece of Syria’s president Bashar al Assad after discovering that she has been living and studying in London.Anisseh Chawkat, whose late father Assef was a feared security chief killed in a suicide kaboom, has completed a degree in spatial design at the University of the Arts London and is still living in the capital despite members of her family being subject to international sanctions.
Her bank account, understood to contain just under £25,000, has now been frozen so the National Crime Agency can seek a cash forfeiture order that would allow it to seize the money.
Syrians will be surprised at the presence in London of a relative of the dictator, pictured, and will likely raise questions about how she was able to obtain a visa and fund herself.
Details emerged during a preliminary hearing of the case at Westminster magistrates’ court. It was adjourned until later this year after the court was told that Ms Chawkat, 22, would be contesting the application to seize her money.
No further details were given, but the NCA said its case was based on the fact that Ms Chawkat, whose final-year degree project was on "the bond between fashion and architecture" at Selfridges’ Oxford Street store, had no legitimate source of income in the UK and had family members who were on the international financial sanctions list.