Syrian Internal Security Forces arrested several relatives of Rustum Ghazali, a former senior intelligence official under the Assad regime, on Saturday, August 15, during a series of raids on their homes in Damascus.

A former Free Syrian Army faction commander in Daraa Governorate, who requested anonymity for security reasons, told Enab Baladi that these “field and security developments came in response to persistent follow-up by families of people killed in the Qarfa area, in coordination with the relevant authorities.”

He said the campaign followed the disclosure and leaking of audio recordings involving Nazem Ghazali, Rustum’s brother, which allegedly showed attempts to offer financial bribes to have orders placing properties under seizure and confiscation lifted.

 Large Amounts of Gold and Foreign Currency Seized

The simultaneous raids on the homes of Ghazali’s relatives resulted in the seizure of large amounts of gold and US dollars that had allegedly been prepared for smuggling outside Syria, according to the same source. He also claimed that authorities uncovered and dismantled a network involved in attempted bribery and the recycling of suspicious funds.

The individuals against whom measures were taken include:

• Darin Rustum Ghazali: A former lawyer at the Terrorism Court under the former regime. Authorities found quantities of gold and US dollars at her home, according to the source. Her property was placed under seizure and she was put under house arrest.
• Ajwad Ghazali: A former colonel in the Assad regime, Rustum Ghazali’s nephew and son-in-law. His home was raided, he was arrested, and sums of money in his possession were confiscated.
• Hamza Abdo Talab Ghazali: The person heard in a circulating audio recording allegedly offering bribes. He was arrested.
• Nazem Abdo Talab Ghazali: Rustum Ghazali’s brother, who was referenced in the previously mentioned audio recording. He was arrested.
• Rustum Ghazali’s brothers: All were detained and their properties were placed under seizure.
• Sons of his brothers: Abdul Malik Ghazali and Jamal Mohammad Jamal Ghazali were arrested.

The broader campaign also resulted in the seizure and confiscation of most of the real estate and financial assets, including gold and cash, belonging to the alleged network in the area.

Who Was Rustum Ghazali?

Rustum Ghazali, whose family name Enab Baladi verified with the mukhtar of Qarfa and against the spelling used in US sanctions, was appointed head of the Political Security branch in the Damascus countryside after the 2012 bombing of the Crisis Cell in Damascus, which killed senior officials of the former regime.

The Assad regime had previously appointed him to several positions in Damascus, Aleppo, and Lebanon. The most prominent was as head of the Military Intelligence branch in Lebanon after the death of Ghazi Kanaan in 2005.

Ghazali was killed in April 2015 under mysterious circumstances, amid several accounts suggesting that he had been tortured and beaten before his death.

According to Agence France-Presse, a dispute between Major General Rustum Ghazali, who was then head of the Political Security branch, and Major General Rafiq Shahadah, head of the Military Security branch, escalated into a physical altercation that led to both men being dismissed in March 2015.

Reports differed over the cause of the dispute between the two men. One prominent account said Ghazali opposed the presence of Lebanese Hezbollah forces and Iranian militias in Qarfa at the expense of regime forces and his own security forces.

The dispute led to tensions and mutual arrests between militias affiliated with the two sides, before Rafiq Shahadah, known for his close relationship with the Iranians, intervened.