Opposition's Govt on verge of bankruptcy due to fake jobs, corruption deals

By Zaman staff; Translation by Yusra Ahmed

(Zaman Al Wasl-Special- Syria’s opposition’s interim government is going through severe financial crisis threatening of dissolving it and announcing bankruptcy if not urgent liquidity to pump in.

A well-informed source inside the interim government confirmed that the treasury is almost empty and the government was unable to pay salaries for this month.

Sources reported that the interim government suffered of corruption since its establishment a year ago, which wasted the Qatari fund of € 50 million.

Information reported to Zaman al-Wasl has shown that Ahmed Tomeh, the Interim Prime Minister had employed dozens of people from his region “Dier Ezzor” who formed almost 23% of all employees at salary range of $.3000.

Irresponsibility and corruption in dealing with the Qatari fund started in the beginning of 2014, when the Interim Government rented a 3-level-building of 9 flats in Gaziantep, for almost $200 Thousand. The contract prevented the government from making any changes to the building, and only the owner himself was eligible to do that, therefore he decorated the building and made some changes for extra $50 thousand.

Later, the Interim Government contracted a car-rental agency to rent 23 vehicle for $65 thousand to arrive within a month a maximum, however, after two months, only 5 vehicles were delivered, and all were broken.

Sources revealed that much money is paid as salaries for false jobs, especially Tomeh’s advisors, who reached to 8 one, with salaries’ range around $3500.

Evidence of irresponsibility in dealing with the revolution’s money are annoying, one of them the deal to rent another building for the many Ministries and directorates for $200 thousand, when Mohammed Reslan, the security officer responsible for the Government’s building, mediated the deal to be paid $10 thousand as commission, the building has been empty till now.

Even Ahmed Tomeh has $2000 for housing allowance, despite he lives in the government Building and all his family members are in Germany.

The accountant of Interim Ministry of Justice, who was identified by Zaman al-Wasl and his name was Afif Haj Omar, had stolen about $100 thousand, and run away to apply for asylum in Europe, the lawsuit against him has not gone any further since August 2014.

The deal of renewing stickers could be the biggest corrupted deal, as it cost $3 Million, to obtain a million renewing stickers secretly, but the regime became aware of the deal.

A million USD were transferred to the company, but no one knows where the other $2 million had gone.

Therefore, Zaman al-Wasl put all this information before the president of West-backed National Coalition, Khalid Khoja and requests from the Syrians to demand wide and open investigation for all the information published.