Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has launched an anti-corruption drive targeting former rebel loyalists and even members of his own family, as he struggles to transition from insurgency leader to head of a civilian government following the fall of President Bashar al-Assad.
In a previously unreported meeting on August 30 at his former headquarters in Idlib province, Sharaa rebuked more than 100 officials and business figures who arrived in luxury SUVs. “Have you forgotten you are the sons of the revolution?” he reportedly told the group, according to multiple attendees who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity. Some civil servants with high-end vehicles were ordered to hand over their keys or face investigations for illicit gains, with a handful complying.
Sharaa’s crackdown comes amid a turbulent 10 months since he assumed power, during which Syria has seen sporadic sectarian violence, forced evictions, and property seizures. Analysts say the president faces a critical challenge: avoiding the endemic corruption of the previous Assad regime while maintaining control over a fractured administration. “Power was based on alliances, favouritism, and monopoly. Now, loyalists taking spoils of war would threaten his ability to consolidate power,” Hossam Jazmati, a researcher on Islamist groups, told Reuters.
The Syrian Ministry of Information described the Idlib gathering as a “friendly, informal meeting” and denied that any car keys were surrendered. It said Sharaa stressed he would not tolerate corruption among state employees and aimed to reform the “investment culture established by the former regime.”
Sharaa has also moved against his own family. His brother Jamal, a businessman, ran multiple ventures in Damascus leveraging his familial ties. In August, Sharaa ordered Jamal’s office shut and instructed government entities to cease dealings with him, according to six people familiar with the matter who spoke to Reuters. The ministry confirmed the closure but provided no details on formal charges.
The anti-corruption measures extend beyond family and luxury vehicles. Ordinary Syrians have reported paying large sums, sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars, to intermediaries to secure the release of detained employees or recover property seized in the post-Assad period, according to interviews with business figures and former officials conducted by Reuters. While authorities have sought to channel such settlements through a new illicit gains committee and sovereign wealth fund, early investigations indicate the process remains opaque.
Two lawyers working for the committee have been arrested for alleged theft, while several members are under scrutiny for suspected wrongdoing. The ministry emphasized that investigations are ongoing and that the allegations have not been proven.
Sharaa’s measures reflect his broader challenge: building legitimacy for a government emerging from insurgency, controlling elite and family interests, and combating corruption in a country scarred by decades of authoritarian rule.
