Enab Baladi – Nouran al-Samman
After years of corruption and nepotism that dominated all aspects of life in Syria, Syrians aspire to build a new state based on justice and equal opportunities, away from the networks of corruption that marginalized competencies and weakened trust in institutions.
During the previous regime, “wasta” (the Arabic term for intermediaries or connections) and bribery were informal tools for completing transactions, with personal relationships dictating opportunities for employment, education, and even basic services.
With the fall of the ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, hope is renewed for a system based on integrity and transparency, one that offers opportunities to the competent instead of the influential.
Mohammad, an employee at the Syrian Takamol company, told Enab Baladi that “wasta” plays the most significant role, pointing out that companies only look for competencies when there are no applicants with “wasta.”
Mohammad cites the experience of a friend who has three years of experience but was not accepted for a position as a supervisor at a call center. Instead, someone unqualified was appointed due to the “wasta” of his mother (who works for the Syrian Trading Corporation), and he is still supervising with “almost no” competency.
Alongside “wasta,” bribery has become a semi-official means to expedite transactions or bypass bureaucratic obstacles.
The employee at Takamol explains that “bribery is a primary facilitating tool in some institutions,” noting that at smart card issuing centers, employees receive salaries not exceeding 500,000 Syrian pounds (about $44), without health insurance or permanent contracts, which drives some to rely on bribery as an additional source of income.
“Employees depend on bribery to secure a monthly salary that allows them to live with dignity,” says the employee.
The Syrian community has come to rely on connections as a driving force for companies, as individuals are appointed based on mutual interests rather than competency.
Non-deterrent penalties
For her part, lawyer Sham al-Samman, who practices in Damascus, stressed the need for lawyers and legal and governmental institutions to adhere to integrity and honesty in managing the affairs of the country.
She emphasized the importance of imposing deterrent penalties and fines on violators, considering that such measures represent the end of the era of bribery and nepotism.
She also highlighted the necessity of establishing effective mechanisms to prove bribery crimes before applying penalties, referring to the General Penal Code No. “148” of 1949, especially Article “341,” which stipulates a prison sentence of three months to three years for those committing bribery.
She continued, “This penalty is not sufficient. We must strike with an iron fist to deter the briber and the bribed from corrupting state institutions for personal gain.”
Like al-Samman, Hassna Allo, a young woman from Aleppo, believes that hope for change begins with confronting the nepotism entrenched by “wasta” networks within institutions. She affirmed that appointing competent individuals and those with true ambition is the first step to leading the next phase of new Syria.
Allo sees the lack of oversight and the prioritization of “wasta” over qualifications and expertise contributing to the spread of administrative corruption across various sectors, which has weakened the opportunities for competent individuals to obtain deserving jobs.
What does Syrian law say?
According to a report published by the Syrians for Truth and Justice (STJ) organization in 2022, Syrian law defines bribery as an agreement between the briber and the bribed to complete a task related to the latter’s job, classifying it as a crime undermining public duty alongside embezzlement and obstructing the implementation of the law.
The General Penal Code No. “148” of 1949 and the Economic Penal Code No. “3” of 2013 criminalize bribery, considering it a misdemeanor (punishable by short imprisonment or a fine, or both) if it aims to achieve a legitimate task and a felony (punishable by severe penalties, such as death or long-term imprisonment) if related to an illegitimate act.
Despite Syria signing the UN Convention Against Corruption in 2003, it has not officially ratified it, meaning it has not committed to implementing international standards to combat corruption or taking serious steps to ensure necessary legislation to fight it.
How the Assad government handled corruption
Over the past decades, Syria has witnessed systematic repression of any attempts to expose corruption, with the authorities restricting the media and marginalizing the role of civil society, to the extent of accusing anyone who speaks about government officials receiving bribes of treason.
The report from Syrians for Truth and Justice points out that rampant corruption and nepotism was one of the factors that triggered the Syrian revolution in 2011, especially with the rise of social media that enabled citizens to expose corrupt practices.
Despite Bashar al-Assad launching in June 2017 the “Administrative Reform” project, which was claimed to aim to address corruption and improve the efficiency of institutions, the previous Syrian regime exploited laws to achieve its own goals, according to the organization.
Meanwhile, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) indicated that corruption directly impacts human rights, as it hinders the provision of basic services and undermines the legitimacy of institutions, leading to a breakdown of community trust in the state’s ability to achieve justice and development.
Assad named “person of the year” in global corruption
With the fall of the ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) announced its selection of him as the “Person of the Year 2024” in crime and corruption.
According to a report issued by the organization in December 2024, this classification has been awarded since 2012 to those most contributing to global chaos through corruption and organized crime, with the winner chosen by a committee of experts from civil society, academia, and the media.
Besides al-Assad topping the list of corrupt figures, Syria topped the list of the most corrupt countries, according to a ranking released by the Global Risk organization for 2023, which specializes in assessing corruption risks.
The report indicated that Syria ranked last (196th) globally, behind countries like Yemen, South Sudan, Congo, and North Korea, reflecting the extent of corruption entrenched in state institutions.
While corruption in Syria has not been a new phenomenon, international indicators have shown it has worsened unprecedentedly during the years 2011-2024.
In 2010, Syria ranked 124th on the global corruption index out of 180 countries, but the phenomenon quickly intensified after the outbreak of the revolution, with the spread of nepotism, bribery, and misinformation, according to an analysis released by the Syrian Dialogue Center in 2024.
For his part, Dr. Najm al-Ahmad of Damascus University noted in his book “Administrative Corruption,” published by the Syrian General Organization of Books, that one of the main causes of the spread of corruption is assigning administrative oversight to individuals who are either unqualified or biased, making these agencies susceptible to the same corruption.
He added that the previous Syrian regime directed its oversight efforts toward the weaker categories of lower-level employees, while leaving the principal actors outside the accountability circle.