Moscow
denies Asma al Assad seeks divorce - as reports suggest she wants UK return
Turkish and
Arabic media reported Bashar al Assad's wife wants a divorce and to leave
Moscow, where they have been granted asylum. There is also speculation she may
want to return to the UK, where she was born.
Monday 23 December 2024 13:52, UK
Moscow has denied claims Bashar al Assad's wife is seeking a
divorce and a route out of Russia, where the couple are staying.
The deposed Syrian dictator has been in the Russian capital
with Asma al Assad since rebels forced him out of power in a lightning
offensive earlier this month.
They had to leave their life of luxury behind in a hurry -
with their abandoned home explored by Sky News - and reports suggest Asma has
grown disillusioned.
Turkish and Arabic media claimed the 49-year-old, who was
born in Britain and has a UK passport, wants a divorce and to leave Russia -
possibly for a return to London.
It's also said they are confined to Moscow and had their
assets frozen, but Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday the reports
"do not correspond to reality".
Asma was diagnosed with leukaemia this year, five years
after she was treated for breast cancer.
Reports suggest she may be seeking a return to London to
continue her treatment, having grown up in Acton and working as an investment
banker for JPMorgan.
She is under Western sanctions and UK foreign secretary
David Lammy said this month she is "not welcome" in the country.
"I've seen mentioned in the last few days, Asma Assad
potentially someone with UK citizenship that might attempt to come into our
country, and I want it confirmed that she's a sanctioned individual and is not
welcome here in the UK," he said.
Asked about the possibility of stripping her of British
citizenship, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: "We are far too early
in any decisions about anything."
In interviews, she insisted the Assads lived a middle-class
life, but Sky News found countless jewellery boxes and designer goods in her
storage room and boudoir.
On the lower floor, there were bank records in Asma's maiden
name for huge sums of money.
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