Saleh's son in a trial at a Houthi military court

Yesterday, the Iran-backed Houthis announced that a third public session was held at the Central Military Court in Sanaa to prosecute Ahmed Ali Saleh, the son of former Yemeni President Saleh, on charges of espionage, embezzlement, and exploitation of public office.

The Houthi-affiliated newspaper ‘September 26’ reported that "the court heard from the military prosecution a number of evidentiary pieces that were presented in audio and video, and the responses of the lawyer acting for the accused regarding the indictment and the evidentiary evidence."

“The court decided to postpone it until the next session to continue reviewing the remaining evidence and the responses of the lawyer acting for the accused," the newspaper added.

Ahmed is the eldest son of former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who allied with the Houthis to control Sanaa and invade South Yemen in 2015, before being killed by Houthi gunmen on December 4th, 2017.

Ahmed has been residing in the U.A.E. for years, after being relieved of his duties as Yemen’s ambassador to Abu Dhabi by former Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi in 2015. Since November 2014, Ahmed, along with his father and senior Houthi officials, has been subject to sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council.

Ahmed was seen as a potential successor to Saleh, who ruled Yemen for almost two and a half decades. Ahmed led the Republican Guard forces between 2004 and 2012. Despite Saleh’s killing, Ahmed remains the official vice-president to Sadiq Aburas of the Congress Party in Sanaa, which is allied with the Houthis.

On September 26th, Ahmed returned to the public forefront after his picture was raised and his name chanted by demonstrators in the Houthi-controlled cities of Sanaa and Ibb, amid a phase of “radical change” announced by the Houthi leader, Abdulmalik Al-Houthi.