Assad cousin wins case to unfreeze Swiss millions (AP)

GENEVA ? A cousin of Syria's President Bashar Assad has won a legal bid to unfreeze euro3 million ($4 million) held in bank accounts in Switzerland.

Switzerland's top criminal court has ruled in favor of Hafez Makhlouf's appeal against the Swiss government's decision to block the accounts.

The 40-year-old army colonel was added to a Swiss government sanctions list in September in response to Syria's brutal crackdown on opposition protesters.

The Swiss court last month agreed with Makhlouf's argument that the money was designated for a property purchase in Syria made in April 2011, five months before the funds were frozen.

The verdict was first reported Thursday by Swiss news website 20min.ch and is available online.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120209/ap_on_re_eu/eu_switzerland_syria

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