Cases of corruption committed by officials of the former Syrian regime in ministries and public institutions are surfacing as reports continue to be issued by the Central Organization for Financial Control (COFC) and the Central Authority for Supervision and Inspection.
Waseem al-Mansour, Deputy Head of the COFC, said on Monday, August 25, that the watchdog’s investigations revealed “systematic” corruption in strategic sectors that directly affected people’s lives during the rule of the former regime.
According to the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), al-Mansour stated that preliminary investigations showed financial losses exceeding hundreds of millions of US dollars.
The COFC, established by Decree No. 64 of 2003, is defined as an independent oversight body linked to the Prime Minister’s office. Its mission is to ensure effective control over public funds and to monitor the financial accountability of administrative and economic institutions.
Hundreds of files
Al-Mansour noted that the COFC has received hundreds of corruption files that caused severe damage to public funds, implicating former officials from the previous regime. More than 80 specialized investigative committees have been formed to examine these cases.
The investigations, according to al-Mansour, showed that corruption was organized and entrenched in sectors directly related to citizens’ livelihoods. This placed a heavy responsibility on the watchdog to uncover facts, hold those involved accountable, and establish safeguards to prevent such practices in the “new Syria.”
In electricity, oil, and housing
A source in the Central Authority for Supervision and Inspection told Enab Baladi that the corruption cases announced by the COFC were concentrated in the ministries of Oil and Mineral Resources, Electricity, and Public Works and Housing during the former regime.
The source, who requested anonymity, said this “organized and entrenched” corruption caused massive losses to public funds.
The COFC consists of technical departments specializing in oversight of administrative and economic sectors, employee regulations, as well as a department dedicated to legal affairs and investigations. It has jurisdiction over ministries, public administrations, government-affiliated agencies, public economic enterprises, and institutions that receive state subsidies or capital contributions.
Not the first case
Al-Mansour, who assumed the presidency of the COFC after the fall of the former regime and now serves as Deputy Head, stated last July that investigations had revealed major violations in certain public institutions. These involved former senior officials accused of “abuse of power, bribery, and squandering public funds.”
Among those implicated, he said, were the former Secretary-General of the Prime Minister’s Office (initials Q.Kh.), the former Director-General of the General Organization for Chemical Industries (initials A.A.F.), and the former Head of the Electronic Payment Systems Department at the Central Bank of Syria (initials A.R.).
The investigation, al-Mansour explained, was based on preliminary reports following a comprehensive review of documents, evidence gathering, and cross-checking of sources. Losses exceeded half a billion US dollars, carried out in circumstances lacking transparency and in violation of laws and regulations.
The implicated individuals and their files have been referred to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, which has begun taking the necessary legal measures.
In the energy sector
The Central Authority for Supervision and Inspection uncovered one of the most prominent corruption cases in the energy sector, involving a former Minister of Oil and Mineral Resources. According to SANA, the case deprived Syrians of approximately 10,500 gas cylinders per day for a year and a half.
Issam al-Khalif, Deputy Head of the Authority, said the former minister halted maintenance works at a damaged gas facility in the Badia desert of Homs, despite a formal contract with a specialized company. This led to continuous gas leaks and burning to prevent pollution, wasting the resource instead of using it for electricity generation or household consumption.
The wasted volume exceeded 46 million cubic meters, with losses estimated at $4.65 million, in addition to financial damage caused by currency fluctuations.
Mouayyad Hamade, Director of Public Relations at the Authority, affirmed that the watchdog is moving forward with reopening all unresolved corruption cases predating Syria’s liberation, stressing that “public money belongs to the people, and no one will be above accountability.”
The former minister has been referred to the competent court under the Economic Penal Code No. 3 of 2013, with an order issued to freeze his movable and immovable assets, as well as those of his wife.
Watchdog Reveals “Systematic” Corruption Under Former Syrian Regime Enab Baladi.
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