The new Syrian government is scrutinized in the empires of companies worth billions of dollars and owned by the ousted President Bashar al -Assad, and there were talks with some of these wealthy people as part of a campaign to eradicate corruption and illegal activity.
After assuming power in December, the new administration in Syria pledged to rebuild the country after a 13 -year war, as well as ending the intense and corrupt economic regime that was dominated by Assad’s followers.
To achieve these goals, the state, led by President Ahmed Al -Shara, formed a committee in charge of analyzing the complex commercial interests of businessmen associated with Assad, such as Samer Fawz and Mohamed Hamsho, according to Reuters quoting 3 unnamed sources.
According to correspondence between the Central Bank of Syria and commercial banks, the new administration issued orders after days of controlling Damascus aimed at freezing the assets and bank accounts of companies and individuals associated with Assad, and later included specifically those who are lists of US sanctions lists.
A government official and two Syrian exporters familiar with the matter, who asked not to reveal their identity, said that Hamsho and a victory for Syria from abroad and met prominent figures in the new administration in Damascus last January.
The United States has imposed sanctions on Hamsho and a victory since 2011 and 2019, respectively.
The sources pointed out that the two men who raised the booing of many Syrians because of their close relations with Assad, pledged in cooperation with the fact -finding efforts made by the new leadership.
The US Treasury accuses the Aman Holding Group, which has a win of the war in Syria, and its actions vary between the pharmaceutical industry, sugar refining, trade and transportation.
Likewise, the interests of Hamsho, which falls under the Homsou International Group, is largely large, and ranges from petrochemicals and mineral products to television production.
Syrian analysts and businessmen say that the approach that the new Syrian government will follow towards the strong companies associated with Assad, which is not completely clear, will be essential in determining the fate of the economy while the administration is struggling to persuade Washington and its allies to lift the sanctions.
Reuters quoted the Minister of Trade Maher Khalil Al -Hassan and the head of the Syrian Investment Authority Ayman Hamwiya as saying that the government is in contact with some businessmen associated with Assad, without identifying them or going into details.
Khaldoun Al -Zoubi, who collaborated with a long victory, confirmed that his partner had talks with the Syrian authorities, but he did not confirm the information of his visit to the country.
Al -Zoubi, who is the lobby of the central Damascus hotel, has a majority -share group in which: “I told them that he is ready to cooperate with the new administration and provide all support to the Syrian people and the new state. He is ready to do anything asking him.”
The two Syrian sources said that the victory, who holds Turkish citizenship, left Damascus after the talks.
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“The country’s economy is in their hands”
Syrian analysts say about 12 men are the narrow link of the acts of business linked to the previous regime, and government officials, who were appointed by the new Syrian government, consider them as interest.
The Syrian authorities ordered the companies and factories affiliated with or related to the business emperors to continue working under the supervision of the new authorities in Syria, while the committee is investigating its various actions.
“Our policy is to allow their employees to continue to work and supply goods to the market while freeing their money movements now,” the Syrian Minister of Trade said in an interview early January.
He added, “It is a huge file. The country’s economy is in their hands. You cannot ask them to leave simply,” explaining that the new government cannot avoid dealing with them.
Directly informed sources said that the International Group International is among the companies that were placed under the authorities in Syria.
An employee in the group, who asked not to be named, said that the employees received instructions in full cooperation with the new Syrian administration, from which individuals are visiting the company regularly in an effort to obtain information.
Some economists say that the difficult economic situation in the country forces major local companies to continue to work, regardless of who may be affiliated with it.
The United Nations says 90% of Syrians live below the poverty line.
Despite the availability of basic commodities slightly after raising strict commercial restrictions after the fall of Assad, many Syrians still find difficulties to bear their cost.
“The Syrian authorities should be careful before launching a strict campaign on the remnants of the former regime because this may lead to a significant shortage (in goods),” said Karam Shawar, director of an economic consulting company that focuses on Syria and bears his name.
“The largest amount of justice”
A prominent businessman and the government official said that many of the wealthy Syrians did not have time to act in their local origins or transfer them due to the speed of Assad’s fall and his flight on December 8 to Russia, which gave the new Syrian administration an opportunity to use this strongly in dealing with them. Their origins have been frozen since then.
However, according to Reuters, “The authorities are not dealing with transparency with emperors and their commercial businesses threatening the opposite reactions.”
The slogan, which calls for a strict legal path, said: “The general approach to the remnants of the Assad regime is not clear and may depend on the subject and the amount of support they enjoy as well.”
The head of the Syrian Investment Authority, Ayman Hamwiya, who was appointed to deal with potential foreign investors and advise the new government regarding economic policy, admitted popular concerns about the future of companies related to the system that vary in size and importance.
He said that ordinary businessmen, who were forced to pay bribes or work with the regime, are not under the eyes of the new administration.
But he added that the operation will be different for a few who set up partnerships with Assad and achieved fortunes at the expense of the state and carried out illegal activities; The brother of Bashar al -Assad, for example,, which the United States says was related to Hamasho, runs the fourth division of the Syrian army, which was later associated with the production of the Captagon -similar drug.
Hamwiya said: “If you overcome one (business emperors) or its imprisonment, then it is the beneficiary? You have to work slowly, and with committees, information and investigations until you achieve the largest possible amount of justice.”
