DAMASCUS, Jan 5: Syria has frozen the assets of former Vice President Abdel-Halim Khaddam and his family after lawmakers accused him of corruption and demanded that he be charged with treason for criticising the president.

The state-run Al Thawra newspaper ran a decree by the finance ministry, which it said was in response to parliamentary debates on Saturday. Officials were not immediately available for comment.

“The finance ministry issued a decree to freeze the assets of Abdel-Halim Khaddam, his wife, descendants male and female and their spouses and their descendants...pending judicial investigation,” it said.

Syria’s parliament unanimously voted on Saturday to call on the government to put Khaddam on trial for treason.—Reuters