'Aleppo toy smuggler' Rami Adham found guilty of fraud Published duration 21 November 2018 Related Topics Syrian civil war

image copyright Zakariya Barakat image caption Rami Adham told how he would walk up to 16 hours to cross the border on some of his trips to Syria

A Finnish-Syrian man who became a global media hero for smuggling toys to children in Syria has been found guilty of fraud.

Rami Adham was given a 10-month prison sentence for misdirecting charitable funds and failing to have the correct fundraising permits.

But questions were asked about the Finnish-Syrian Association he founded.

A court in Helsinki heard that not all of the $340,000 (£265,500) funds raised for the association went directly to help the people in Syria as had been claimed.

Around $70,000 was spent on a cabin on a community allotment in Finland, and some money ended up in a bank account Adham had opened in Turkey.

media caption The "toy smuggler of Aleppo" is now being investigated for fraud

The court also found he did not have the necessary permits to collect some of the money he acquired.