On August 30, a secret meeting was held in Idlib at the former headquarters of Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Shara. More than 100 officials and businessmen participated in the meeting.
At that time, the presence of luxury cars such as "Cadillac Escalade", "Range Rover", and "Chevrolet Tahoe", valued at hundreds of thousands, even millions, in front of the headquarters of the famous commander of the war years, had sparked discussions.
Syria's new leader, who has been in power for only 10 months, began the meeting with words full of humor and irony: “Are government salaries really that high? Weren't you the sons of the revolution? How quickly were you deceived?”
At that meeting, Shara openly told officials, “Either hand over the keys to your luxury cars, or explain your source of income.” It is reported that at the end of the meeting, several individuals indeed handed over their car keys. According to Modern.az, "Reuters" reported this.
The main challenge facing Shara is to transform the struggle of armed groups into state governance, and to do so without repeating the corruption system that Assad built over the years. “He is not a product of a state school; he grew up in militia structures. For him, power has always been based on alliances, privileges, and monopoly,” says Syrian researcher Hussam Jazmati.
According to analysts, Shara now needs financial resources not for personal gain, but to maintain power.
The new president's fight against corruption has also reached his family members.
According to information, Shara had his brother Jamal al-Shara's office in Damascus sealed in August and prohibited all state institutions from working with him.
Jamal drove a luxury “Mercedes S-Class” car, presented himself as a “presidential representative,” and established investment and tourism businesses. Now, there is a red wax seal on the door of that office. This mark is a typical symbol in Syria for properties under corruption investigation.
The Ministry of Information confirmed the closure of the office but stated that no official charges had been brought against Jamal.
Shara later gathered his family members, including his 79-year-old father, and warned them: “Do not attempt to use the family name for your own interests!”
After the meeting Shara held in August, where he spoke with harsh words, complaints of bribery in state enterprises began to increase.
One local entrepreneur told the agency that he paid 100,000 dollars to secure the release of his arrested employee, but was then asked for another 100,000 dollars for the employee to return to work. Another person stated that he paid 25,000 dollars for the same matter.
The state, however, noted that such claims are rarely observed and announced that some individuals have already been brought under investigation.
After the collapse of the Assad regime, the government confiscated the assets of businessmen accused of ties to the former regime, established a "committee for illegal gains," and began managing the properties through a new sovereign wealth fund.
This fund includes hundreds of companies, offices, factories, and real estate. However, ironically, two lawyers and several committee members of the fund have already been detained on suspicion of corruption.
For 43-year-old Ahmed al-Shara, the main issue now is not only to govern the country but also to transform from a revolutionary into a statesman. For him, the “era of spoils” is over, but the deeply ingrained habits of the system have not yet ended.
The Syrian public, meanwhile, is seeking an answer to one question: will the new revolution repeat the old ones…
Elnur Amirov
