Unprecedented. Rami Makhlouf, Bashar's cousin, posts a video on Facebook after not appearing in the media for years, and denies allegations that he (and his company Syriatel) evaded paying taxes facebook.com/RamiMakhloufSY… Comes after the Syrian regime seized some of his assets
Makhlouf stresses his humanitarian work. He says he doesn't mind the sum confiscated from him, asking Bashar personally to oversee the distribution of the sum to the poor, because he doesn't trust others to do it.
Having to turn to Facebook to appeal to Bashar confirms all the rumors about his fall from grace. Reportedly, Asma al-Assad is behind a systematic effort to take over Makhlouf's assets english.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2…
Makhlouf stole so much money from Syrians. The son of a friend went to school with Ali Makhlouf (in the vid). He described that the family has a zoo in the Lattakia Coast, a private beach, multiple villas. Rami is assessed to have controlled 60% of Syria's economy.
Another one of Rami's kids
New video by Makhlouf, extraordinarily disclosing that the secret police (mukhabarat) is arresting employees of his companies to pressure him to give up his $. The video heavily relies on the rhetoric among impoverished loyalists, its intended audience
facebook.com/RamiMakhloufSY…
facebook.com/RamiMakhloufSY…
Similarly to regime loyalists, he highlights his loyalty, service & sacrifice when asking for the personal intervention of "Mr. President". Unlike average loyalists, he discusses the mukhabarat & points the finger directly at Assad, saying he could stop this if he wanted to.
Loyalist discourse refers to the mukhabarat rarely and usually in jest/hint (see example). In semi-public conversations, loyalists avoid blaming Assad personally, pretending/believing that he is unaware of the corruption around him. Rami's privilege allows him to speak honestly 
"Can you imagine the security services coming to the companies of Rami Mahlouf, who was the greatest supporter of these organs & their greatest servant?... This must not happen, this is the use of power in the wrong way... Power was not given to pressure people to relinquish [$]"
The self-confessed supporter of the mukhabarat, which systematically electrocutes, rapes, burns alive and executes innocents to keep the Assad mafia in power, goes on to say: "Power wasn't given to be used for our benefit, but to serve the people, not for them to serve us"
He repeats his call for Bashar to personally oversee the distribution of funds confiscated from the company, this time making his critique about corruption more openly, asking Assad ensures that "the funds... go to those who needs them & not to the pockets of others."
"I call again on the presidency... The security services have started to encroach on the freedoms of the people, these are your people, these are loyalost (موالين), they were with you & are still with you... You shouldn't let others do what they want by force"
Makhlouf sees the arrests as efforts to pressure him, saying those steps will bring punishment from God for all of Syria. He insists he won't give up. It's inappropriate, he said, for the regime to come and say "Rami, you give up [your assets] or we'll arrest all of your people?
The billionaire goes on to say: "Are you [Assad] going to let this happen?... To whom shall we turn but you? Us, on the ground, to whom shall we turn but our president? And that's you, he who stays awake at night [working hard] to ensure the constitution is upheld"
Echoing impoverished regime supporters frustrated by corruption all around them: "Today, we as citizens, whom do we seek? [Just] let others to abuse us this way, we who have given the most precious and invaluable?" [referring to human losses in the battlefield]
"Please Mr. President... Please, these people [mukhabarat] are encroaching on the law, on the constitution, which you are in charge of. If you wanted to, you would not allow this."
The billionaire drug smuggler, who helped suck Syria's poor dry, ends with a prayer to God.
The billionaire drug smuggler, who helped suck Syria's poor dry, ends with a prayer to God.
Deeply sectarian post by Rami Makhlouf's cousin, presenting Bashar as persecuting [Alawi] Makhlouf while ignoring the corruption of Sunni ["new Ottoman"] businessmen tied to him and relatives of Asmaa', Bashar's [Sunni] wife facebook.com/sameeh.roubh/p… (via @putintintin1)
Rami's cousin writes that unlike the "neo-Ottoman" businessmen who smuggled their money out of Syria, Rami kept his in the country [a lie] and donated to the families of the poor and families of martyrs and wounded Syrian soldiers & militiamen ["supporting forces"].
Makhlouf does run several foundations, including the Bustan Association, that finance pro-regime militias, including the Tiger Forces/Division 25 & provide support to the families of the fighters. @UNICEF donated to this worthy charity theguardian.com/world/2016/aug…
"Mr. President, since you took power, all your laws have been to the benefit of the rich and against the farmers & the poor" [true]. He accuses Assad of giving most positions of power to the neo-Ottomans [false] & blames those Sunni for the inflation & lira's depreciation [false]
"We sacrificed tens of thousands of martyrs and wounded [he's clearly talking about Alawis, since the losses of the Syrian Army are larger] so that you remain in power...and fearing the return of massacres started by [Ottoman] Sultan Salim [against Alawis in 1517]
For context: my in-depth look at the Alawi sect, the supposed victors of the war in Syria, who face crushing poverty, growing regime corruption and villages empty of men nybooks.com/daily/2019/07/…
