'In-law is not a political position', says Asma Al Assad's sanctioned father

Fawaz Akhras is the first member of the Assad family to speak after collapse of what he acknowledges is the 'former regime'

Fawaz Akhras with his daughter Asma Al Assad. AFP

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The father-in-law of Bashar Al Assad has denied suggestions his relationship with the leadership of the “former regime” represents grounds for him to be struck off as a doctor in the UK. Fawaz Akhras, a Harley Street cardiologist, spoke after being placed under sanctions by the US.

His comments are the first from a member of the Assad family after the collapse of their rule in the wake of the lightning surge of the Hayat Tahrir Al Sham-led opposition. Dr Akhras, 78, who has joint UK and Syrian citizenship, lives in west London, where Asma was brought up. In the past, he has acted as a go-between in relations between the UK and Syria.

He is accused by the US Treasury of having “materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, Bashar Al Assad”. Dr Akhras provided “support and facilitation” with sanctions evasion, and attempts by Al Assad “to achieve international political engagement”, it claims.

The Akhras family home in Acton, west London. Getty Images

The UK’s independent regulator of doctors, the General Medical Council, says medical professionals must “uphold high personal and professional standards of conduct”. But in a statement issued to The Times newspaper, Dr Akhras insisted he had no involvement with the regime of Bashar Al Assad and that “father-in-law is not a political position”, adding that: "I have never been politically involved, in any capacity, with the former Syrian government."

Dr Akhras described the sanctions imposed on him as “politically motivated and not based on any evidence” and says they are “currently being challenged by my lawyer.

“My success and reputation as a medical professional has been built on my integrity as an individual,” he said. "My annual appraisals and regular revalidations, which include feedback from my peers and patients, have consistently attested to this.”

The GMC's responsibility is to protect, promote and maintain the health and safety of the UK public, and it says each concern raised with it is considered on a case-by-case basis.

Fawaz Akhras is a renowned Harley Street cardiologist. Supplied

The body said it would consider sanctions imposed by another professional body against a doctor’s registration as a result of fitness to practise procedures. “We would consider any information that raises questions about a doctor’s fitness to practise in line with our standard processes.

“We can and will investigate serious concerns that suggest patient safety or the public’s confidence in doctors may be at risk. We consider all concerns that are raised with us and we take this responsibility very seriously.”

The Akhras family home is a £1 million property in the Acton area of west London, where there is a thriving Syrian community. The family have not been seen at the property since well before the fall of Bashar Al Assad, according to neighbours.

According to his website, Dr Akhras is a consultant interventional cardiologist at the Cromwell Hospital London and is the medical director of Cardiac Healthcare Services in Harley Street. However, Cromwell Hospital told The National he has not been employed by them since 2021.

In 2002 he founded the British Syrian Society, a lobby group that promotes the preservation of Syria’s heritage for future generations. Its directors have included former ambassadors and other prominent British figures. Intercepted emails that emerged in 2012 show he was advising Bashar Al Assad from the UK on how to present the crackdown on anti-regime protesters to the world.

Asma Al Assad and Fawaz Akhras pictured in Damascus. AFP

He compared Assad's actions to those of the UK prime minister at the time, David Cameron, in dealing with riots which gripped London in 2011. “When the London riots burst out and Mr Cameron said he would get the army out, now would you compare that to Homs?” he told The Telegraph. “What would you do? Just watch them killing you? You have a responsibility to ensure the security of your people.”

The latest sanctions imposed on Dr Akhras follow those imposed on 37 individuals and entities associated with the former regime in 2020. Those hit included him, his wife, Sahar Otri Akhras, Asma, and her husband. Those sanctioned under what is known as the Caesar Act included the Syrian leader's siblings Maher and Bushra.

US politicians passed the Caesar Act in 2019 to choke revenue for Mr Al Assad’s government in a bid to force it back to UN-led negotiations and broker an end to the country’s civil war.