New twist in the Rami Makhlouf affair. This cousin of President Bashar al-Assad, head of Syriatel, the largest mobile operator in Syria, announced on May 19 on Facebook that the state had ordered the seizure of all of its assets. The administration is indeed claiming from this company the payment of 185 million dollars (160 million euros) in arrears.

The Syrian Telecommunications Regulatory Authority "seizes my money, my wife and children's money, even though his problem is with my company and not with me personally," said the wealthy businessman, who long been the main financial supporter of the Assad regime.

The 51-year-old tycoon, who also has interests in oil, electricity and real estate, said he was "banned from working with the state for five years".

The Syrian Telecommunications and Post Regulatory Authority, for its part, accused Syriatel of breaching its commitments and recently warned it that it would take all legal measures to recover "the rights of the State" and the "are legally" owed by Syriatel and necessary to maintain its license. 

Sixty arrests

Rami Makhlouf's quarrel with power broke out in 2019, when he took control of his charity, Al-Boustan, before dissolving militias affiliated with him. 

In December, the government froze the assets of several businessmen for tax evasion and illegal enrichment during the war, including that of Rami Makhlouf.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, nearly 60 employees - 40 working at Syriatel and 19 for the Al-Boustan association - have been arrested by the police since April.

With AFP

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