WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense lawyers say an Austrian court has lifted a freeze on bank deposits held by a former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, Iraq and the United Nations, and his wife.
The lawyers said late Wednesday that the regional high court in Vienna granted an appeal of an earlier order that froze the accounts of Zalmay Khalilzad and his wife, Cheryl Benard.
The lawyers said they did not learn of last week’s court decision until Wednesday. That is days after news media reports revealed that Khalilzad was being investigated for suspected money laundering related to business activities in Iraq and the United Arab Emirates.
The lawyers say the court’s decision is a vindication of the couple’s position.
