Syrian Regime Expand Arrests Targeting Makhlouf’s Senior Employees

Arab World

May 5th, 8:54am

Damascus, London – Asharq Al-Awsat

People walk past the looted premises of cellphone company Syriatel, in Daraa March 21, 2011. (Reuters)

Syrian regime authorities have widened the arrests campaign against senior managers and employees at companies belonging to Rami Makhlouf, the cousin of President Bashar Assad. This followed the government’s Telecommunications and Postal Regulatory Authority informing two of Makhlouf’s telecom companies, “Syriatel” and “MTN” to pay about 234 billion Syrian pounds to the state treasury as a penalty. Reliable sources have informed the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that the campaign of arrests, which targeted Syriatel managers and technicians, was not only limited to Damascus and Latakia, but also expanded to Aleppo and Tartus. Regime security services and Russian forces arrested four managers and technicians in Aleppo and three in Tartus. Meanwhile, regime intelligence services and Russian police launched new campaign of arrests, targeting managers and employees of Al-Bustan Association, which is also owned by Makhlouf. These developments are part of Russian attempts to curb Makhlouf's influence. The Observatory confirmed that Makhlouf has not been arrested. Reliable sources informed the monitor that Syriatel’s employees and technicians had been prevented from accessing the communications towers for at least three weeks. These developments followed Russian insistence on taking over Syriatel telecom and taking Makhlouf out of the picture. There are growing concerns among Syrian regime loyalists about the repercussions of this case and its impact on the economy, as tens of thousands of people work at Makhlouf’s companies. Makhlouf appeared in two Facebook videos in the past week to plead with Assad over the "inhumane" campaign against him. Makhlouf is widely considered part of Assad's inner circle. He has a business empire that ranges from telecoms and real estate to construction and oil trading. He had played a big role in financing Assad's war effort, Western officials have said. The billionaire has been under US sanctions since 2008 for what Washington calls public corruption and it has since toughened measures against top businessmen who are close to him. The European Union has also slapped sanctions on Makhlouf since 2011, accusing him of bankrolling Assad. He became a hated figure to many pro-democracy protesters who rose up against corruption and the authoritarian rule of Assad in March 2011.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2268346/syrian-regime-expand-arrests-targeting-makhlouf%E2%80%99s-senior-employees