Former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh (pictured in 2004) allegedly amassed a net worth a U.N. panel estimates is valued between $32 billion and $60 billion. (UPI/Helene C. Stikkel/Defense Department)
SANAA, Yemen, Feb. 25 (UPI) -- The United Nations released a report Tuesday that revealed former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh amassed a net worth between $32 billion and $60 billion.
During Saleh's 33-year presidency, which ended in 2012, "he is alleged to have amassed assets between $32 billion and $60 billion," the 54-page investigative report found. The U.N. panel concluded that Saleh amassed his wealth in part through corrupt practices related to gas and oil contracts, and allegedly by stealing money from the fuel subsidy program.
The assets are subject to sanctions and are suspected to be held under false names in at least 20 countries. The U.N. has requested assistance from member states to identify those assets.
Both the United States and U.N. imposed economic sanctions against Saleh's assets in November 2014 in response to his involvement in acts that undermined the "peaceful transition of power in Yemen, and acts that obstruct the political process in Yemen." The former president was also accused of supporting "violent Houthi actions in northern Yemen." Sanctions issued in November were also levied against Houthi military commanders Abdullah Yahya al-Hakim and Abd al-Khaliq al-Huthi.
The newly released U.N. investigative report sheds light on the nature of Saleh's alliance with Houthi forces.
"Shifts in party allegiances," the report stated, "resulted in the formation of unexpected alliances between former enemies, such as the Houthis and former President Saleh. Their alliance, interlocutors told U.N. investigators, was intended "to destroy the power base and property of [Saleh's] enemies, particularly the Islah party."
"The case of the takeover of Amran City is a good example of the strength of the alliances forged by the Houthis, tribes and former President Saleh. The takeover was contrived, planned and executed in a three-phase plan over several months. In the course of the armed conflict, tribal fighters gradually reinforced Houthi forces, and several interlocutors confirmed to the panel how some members of local tribes were fighting under the command and control of the Houthis."
The U.N. Security Council on Tuesday unanimously adopted a resolution extending sanctions for one year against "those threatening stability in Yemen." The resolution came a week after the Security Council condemned "the unilateral actions taken by the Houthis to dissolve parliament and take over Yemen's government institutions," and called on Houthi militias to "immediately and unconditionally" withdraw.
