(Zaman Al Wasl)- Pro-regime activists and relatives of the Syrian tycoon Rami Makhlouf said the Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad had held his cousin in custody over 'money discords'.
This disagreement led to direct orders to take Makhlouf’s companies and investments into the custody of the regime.
Rumors about the cause of the dispute remained as speculation, although most of them agreed that the main reason was due to Putin's request for a large sum from Assad as “down payment” to cover the expenses of his military intervention of Syria. Al-Assad resorted to his “treasurer”, who declined, not being able to provide such a large sum (about $ 3 billion).
This resulted in the beginning of retribution against the cousin, a customary practice inherited from Syria’s late President Hafez al-Assad, who would not allow anyone - even his brother - to bypass or reject his orders.
In the midst of rumors about the confiscation of all property and funds of Makhlouf, some started to question the situation, considering that the story remains a fabrication until a formal statement is issued. However, they are overlooking that any official statement will uncover the Assad and Makhlouf family’s massive stolen wealth.
Assad's first act of retaliation against his cousin seems to have been from the Al-Bustan Association, which Rami Makhlouf is keen to call “charity” from the day he announced his false retirement in 2011, and devoted himself to “philanthropy.”
Zaman al-Wasl sources said Assad had ordered the dismissal of theAl-Bustan association’s board of directors, led by Rami Makhlouf and his right-hand man, Samer Darwish, and the appointment of a new board. A clear indication of the start of the demise of Makhlouf.
Al-Bustan Association played a pivotal role in financing and arming large groups of Assad’s Shabiha, and later supported a large number of the families of the dead loyalists, allocating a large budget of looted funds, while part of it was again looted by the association's executives, a scenario typical in Syria since the Assad family has taken over.
Zaman Al Wasl
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