The French National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office has appealed to the Paris Judicial Court after charges against former Governor of the Central Bank of Syria, Adib Mayaleh, related to financing battles in Syria were dropped.
Mayaleh, who holds both French and Syrian citizenship, is suspected of financing the Syrian regime accused of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity.
According to the French website “l’orient le jour” on Wednesday, June 5, sources said that Mayaleh, residing in France, has been charged with complicity in the crimes attributed to the Syrian regime.
He has also been charged with money laundering and participating in proven conspiracies and has been placed under judicial supervision.
Mayaleh obtained French citizenship in 1993 and changed his name to André Mayard, according to the website.
The specialized investigating judge in the unit for crimes against humanity at the Paris Judicial Court believes there are serious indications to charge Mayaleh.
Preliminary investigations were opened against Mayaleh in December 2016.
Mayaleh is subject to American sanctions, according to the website “Open Sanctions” (an international database of individuals with political, criminal, or economic interests).
The former Central Bank Governor controlled the Syrian banking sector and, through his position, provided economic and financial support to the regime.
Who is Mayaleh?
Mayaleh was born in Daraa in 1955 and holds a degree in economics from the University of Damascus in 1981, as well as a diploma and a doctorate in economics with a specialization in international relations in 1991 from the University of Aix-en-Provence in France.
He also holds a diploma in advanced studies in money, banking, and finance, and a diploma in advanced studies in applied macroeconomics from the same university.
He served as the Governor of the Central Bank of Syria for 11 years, starting in 2005, before being replaced by Dureid Dergham in 2016, and he was then appointed Minister of Economy for one year before being relieved of his duties by the regime’s president, Bashar al-Assad.
In 2020, Mayaleh founded a financial consultancy firm with a capital of ten million Syrian pounds, named “Economous” as a single-partner limited liability company in Damascus.
The company operates in the field of preparing, designing, and developing administrative and financial systems for companies, and providing economic studies and consultations.
It also works on importing and exporting materials permitted by the government of the regime, in addition to representing Arab and foreign companies and agencies and participating in tenders and auctions.