Syria is experiencing a turbulent political and security phase following the ouster of former president Bashar al-Assad, amid rising internal tensions within the administration of transitional president Ahmad al-Sharaa, who faces mounting challenges at home and abroad, Reuters reported.

In a report published Friday, 31 October, the agency said the Syrian president held a meeting at his former residence in Idlib (northwest Syria) on 30 August, away from his presidential office in Damascus, with senior security officials in attendance.

Witnesses who were present at the meeting, and others briefed on its details, told Reuters that al-Sharaa ordered civilian employees who own luxury cars to hand over their keys immediately or face probes into “illicit gains.” Attendees added that some keys were, in fact, surrendered by the end of the meeting.

Syria’s Ministry of Information described the gathering to Reuters as “cordial and informal,” saying it addressed “political and security challenges and the need to change the investment culture established by the previous regime.” The ministry affirmed that al-Sharaa stressed rejecting corruption in state institutions, while denying that any car keys were actually handed over.

Anti-corruption drives

These steps followed public complaints to al-Sharaa in early August about sudden displays of wealth by some “former rebels” who later became government employees.

On 12 October, the state news agency SANA aired footage of al-Sharaa urging officials to disclose their investments and barring them from entering new private ventures or forming business ties with tycoons, stressing that he “does not want to replicate the model that prevailed under Assad.”

Yet testimonies from nine businesspeople and current and former officials to Reuters indicate corruption persists in the new state, including bribes to secure the release of detainees or recover homes and assets confiscated after the previous regime fell.

Industrialists told Reuters they had to pay unreceipted cash through influential intermediaries to keep their operations running or to shield their staff from arrest.

The Ministry of Information downplayed the scale of such practices, insisting “cases are limited,” and that suspects in taking bribes “were referred to immediate investigation,” according to Reuters.

Excluding Jamal al-Sharaa

Signs of tension have extended into al-Sharaa’s own family. While his brothers Hazem and Maher hold senior posts in the new government, his elder brother Jamal was sidelined after accusations that he leveraged his kinship with the president for business gains.

Reuters, citing six informed sources, reported that after his brother rose to power, Jamal set up an office in Damascus from which he managed projects in imports, exports, and tourism, appearing publicly in upscale venues in a Mercedes S-Class with tinted windows and no license plates.

In August, however, al-Sharaa ordered the office closed and barred any government body from dealing with it. The Ministry of Information confirmed the closure, stating that Jamal “was not allowed to operate as an investment or commercial entity” and “holds no official position in the state,” without specifying whether formal charges were brought.

A relative of al-Sharaa told Reuters the Syrian president convened a family meeting after the incident, warning relatives against “exploiting the family name for personal gain.”

Corruption in the Sovereign Fund

The Syrian government arrested two lawyers working with the Sovereign Fund, which currently includes hundreds of companies, buildings, and factories formerly owned by individuals linked to the previous regime, according to government and economic sources, as part of probes into “alleged corruption.” One of the lawyers has been held for more than a month over an “alleged theft not yet proven,” the Ministry of Information told Reuters.

The ministry also said several members of the committee responsible for settlements with figures from the old regime are under investigation over suspected “misconduct,” though no formal arrest warrants have been issued.

Investigation: Syria Secretly Restructures Its Economy Led by Hazem al-Sharaa