The details of the new sanctions package targeting officials and businessmen close to the Syrian government signal Western efforts to focus on Asma Al-Assad and her surroundings, commonly referred to locally as her "secret office." The sanctions affected entities and several individuals, most notably Firas Fawaz Al-Akhrous, the brother-in-law of the Syrian president, Mohannad Al-Dabbagh, her cousin's son, and Yassar Ibrahim, the economic advisor to Bashar Al-Assad and a member of the "Economic Council" managed by his wife, Asma, according to the European Union.
Ibrahim, alongside Ali Najib Ibrahim, runs several front companies and serves as a cover for the business activities of Asma Al-Assad and her husband. The sanctions statement indicates that Firas Al-Akhrous is a co-owner of "Takamol," which is responsible for the "smart card" program implemented since 2014. While the program falls under the Ministry of "Internal Trade and Consumer Protection," the sanctions detail that "Takamol" collects fees for every transaction made through the "smart card," thus "Firas profits from the regime in Syria and supports it."
Similarly, Mohannad Al-Dabbagh, Asma Al-Assad's cousin's son, is a co-owner of "Takamol," which has a monopoly on the "smart card" program, particularly applied to essential commodities such as rice, sugar, fuel, and some types of vegetables.
Over the past three years, Asma Al-Assad's name has been frequently mentioned in Syria, reaching a point where she began to rival her husband in public appearances. This coincided with the spread of local and Western reports revealing her economic role amidst the country's dire humanitarian and structural challenges through an office long associated with her name and the "presidential palace."
While she gradually rose in prominence, she was soon targeted by sanctions imposed by the United States in December 2020, which also affected her father Fawaz Al-Akhrous and several family members, including Sahar Attri Al-Akhrous, Firas, and Iyad Al-Akhrous. The U.S. State Department stated at the time that Asma Al-Assad "obstructed efforts to reach a political solution and led efforts to benefit the regime in solidifying its economic and political power, including through the use of so-called charitable organizations and civil society organizations."
It also indicated that her family members "accumulated their illicit wealth at the expense of the Syrian people through their control of an extensive and illicit network linked to Europe, the Gulf, and other areas." Iyad Hamid, a senior researcher at the Syrian Legal Development Program based in London, clarifies that the current European sanctions target "individuals benefiting from the Assad regime and involved in supporting it and violating human rights," thereby coming after individuals close to Asma Al-Assad in this context.
In recent years, especially since the fall of Bashar Al-Assad's cousin Ramy Makhlouf, the influence of the Syrian president's wife has increased in the Syrian economy. Hamid explains that the sanctioned individuals, such as her relatives Mohannad Al-Dabbagh and Firas Al-Akhrous, along with Yassar Ibrahim, the head of the presidential palace's economic office, are her tools.
Furthermore, "the presidential palace uses its image to dominate the economy and continue the Assad regime's human rights violations in Syria," the same researcher notes. In addition to Firas Al-Akhrous, Yassar Ibrahim, and Mohannad Al-Dabbagh, Fadh Derwish, who is also close to the president's wife and manages communications with Iran, has been sanctioned. Derwish serves as the head of the "Syrian-Iranian Chamber of Commerce" and owns and manages several companies in Syria operating in various sectors, including trade and pharmaceuticals.
The company "Takamol," which provides "smart cards," is described as "a service company, but it is linked to many issues, some of which involve money laundering." Thus, the sanctions have an escalatory nature that "aims to dry up the hidden avenues of relationships managed by Asma's office, particularly with countries in East Asia, China, and some Arab and European countries as well."
Asma Al-Assad heads the "secret" economic council affiliated with the presidency, according to the "Financial Times." This council does not play a prominent official role in Syria, the newspaper asserts, while Asma's affiliated non-governmental organizations work to build a wide patronage network for the family, controlling access to international aid funding in the country. The U.S. State Department estimates that the net worth of the Al-Assad family ranges between one and two billion dollars, while the fortunes of those close to them amount to billions of dollars. The department revealed in May 2022 that Asma Al-Assad, who was placed on the sanctions list, had established a network exerting influence over the Syrian economy, in addition to her influence over the economic committee managing economic affairs in the country.
She has also expanded her influence in non-profit sectors and telecommunications in recent years, controlling the "Syrian Development Commission," which she established in 2001 to direct funding for initiatives in regime-controlled areas. She has also taken over the "Al-Bustan Charity" from Ramy Makhlouf and appointed officials close to her on the board of directors of the telecommunications company "Syriatel," as well as founding the "Imetel" telecommunications company with a Syrian businessman.
The European sanctions prohibit anyone caught by the European laws from dealing with the sanctioned individuals; however, they do not cover the relationships of the sanctioned individuals with third countries like China, for example. The sanctions also include a travel ban for the European Union, though the researcher does not exclude "the existence of gaps in the sanctions laws, which are exploited by those sanctioned to circumvent the imposed restrictions, limiting their effectiveness."
