The country which was once known for its historic possession of sacred places and ancient collection of goods is now known as the country where we see civilian massacre to its best. Syria is much in the limelight not only in news but also on social media where we see the world divided into two groups holding different views over the issue. With the alerts of a possible attack which might be made by United States any time, Syria is now no more what we ever thought of. While the government seems helpless, the puppet politicians have failed badly in controlling the civil violence leaving a room open for the foreign help.
It is now important to analyze who really is the one in power in Syria and as per the authentic statistics been revealed, it is Rami Makhlouf, the richest, and an important man of Syria.
It is interesting to see his popularity and power unveiling. Have a look!
Net-Worth of Rami Makhlouf
Rami Makhlouf is thought of as a major contributor in Syrian economy where he approximately controls 65% of the country’s economy. It is difficult to precisely state his net-worth as he has never officially disclosed his treasures on forums and interviews but economists suspect him with a net-worth more than $5 Billion. The Makhlouf family is one of a business elite that has done exceptionally well during the Assad dynasty. And its spectacular enrichment has fed resentment among ordinary Syrians. Interesting!
Businesses owned by Makhlouf
If you have ever been to Syria, you will find a lot of stuffs which will make you remember of the products you came across every day during your visit. This man is the main owner of SyriaTel which is the one of two licensed mobile phone companies in Syria. He is also involved in real estate, banking, and free trade zones along the border with Lebanon, duty-free shops, and luxury department stores. His power can be seen by the fact that he controls the Syrian Pearl Airlines which is the first private airline to be allowed in the country. Rami is a major shareholder of many private banks that run in Syria which include names like Bank of Syria, Al Baraka Bank, International bank of Qatar and Islamic Bank of Syria.
Wikipedia well-describes his other important businesses as:
Like his father, Mohammed Makhlouf, he is active in the oil sector, via the British oil company Gulfsands Petroleum. He is also invested in real estate companies such as Sourouh, Fajr, Al Batra, and Al Hada’iq; in tourism companies such as Al Mada’in; in media companies such as daily Al Watan, radio/television station Ninar and satellite station Dunya TV; in advertising companies such as Promedia; in education companies such as the Chouwayfat schools; in industry through the Eltel Middle East company; and in Public Work’s companies such as Ramak TP
Makhlouf in the hit list of America
After 2008, when he was designated as a beneficiary and facilitator of public corruption in Syria, the treasury department accused him as:
Makhlouf has manipulated the Syrian judicial system and used Syrian intelligence officials to intimidate his business rivals. He employed these techniques when trying to acquire exclusive licenses to represent foreign companies in Syria and to obtain contract awards.
Moreover, he is considered as a symbol of corruption and is called as a thief during 2011 Syrian uprising. The most controversial source in this regard, wikileaks revealed that Rami Makhlouf is a powerful regime financer.
In a latest report received by assistant Secretary of State, Jeffrey Feltman, he said:
“It’s not a question right now of Alawites versus Sunnis.It’s a question of the Assad-Makhlouf mafia that has basically hijacked the entire state of Syria for four decades in order to enrich itself and protect itself against the Syrian people.”
His agenda on war against terror
Unlike other richest people in the world, it is really not easy to understand Rami’s strategies as he is not a man who is fond of playing with words, gathering media. One of his interview highlighted that he believes in would “fight until the end.” Of its opponents, he said: “They should know when we suffer, we will not suffer alone.”
Makhlouf- A devoted Syrian?
It was in June that after finding an extra pressure over him, Makhlouf announced he was giving up his business interests and investing the proceeds in charities to help victims of the unrest. He said then the gesture was because he was “so keen on preserving the nation, its land, its people and its leadership.”
The news was not welcomed by half of the Syrians who showed interest in knowing that from where actually he earned this much. One Syrian critic blogged:
“As for Santa Claus Makhlouf, who is showering us with his deeds, could he explain to us where did he bring his first millions from?”
Some analysts believe he is helping prop up the Syrian Central Bank, whose foreign exchange reserves have withered under the impact of sanctions and the sharp devaluation of the Syrian pound.
Knowing this much about an unknown man might be interesting for most of the people here but what one should really think is the future of Syria.
Lets hope to see peace in Syria in upcoming days,
Wishes,
Great personality. It looks like he is the next Warren Buffett. Really Inspirational Person.
Let us see what coming days have to offer him brother. 🙂