Tables attached to Decree No. 140 of 2025, concerning increased allowances and financial entitlements for judges and employees of the Ministry of Justice, revealed substantial raises for heads of judicial bodies and judges at various levels, ranging from $550 to $1,200 per month.
According to the tables obtained by Enab Baladi on Thursday, September 4, the salary and allowances of the head of the Central Judiciary were set at $1,200, the central public prosecutor at $1,150, the senior Sharia judge at $950, the deputy judicial inspector at $900, the head of the Civil Appeals Chamber at $900, the head of the Criminal Court at $900, and the head of the Criminal Appeals Chamber at $900.
The salary of a criminal court counselor was set at $850, while each of the juvenile court president, civil appeals counselor, referral judge, and first civil trial judge will receive $825. The chief military prosecutor, criminal appeals counselor, civil trial judge, and first investigative judge were set at $800.
Other salaries included: first criminal trial judge $775, second investigative judge $750, criminal trial judge, customs judge, and chief public prosecutor $725, investigative judge $700, public prosecutor $675, first Sharia judge $675, and each Sharia or religious judge $650.
Meanwhile, deputy public prosecutors and enforcement judges were set at $625, civil conciliation judges and assistant prosecutors at $600, criminal conciliation, traffic, and juvenile conciliation judges at $575, and “judges under assignment” at $550.
The decree stipulates that the new salaries and allowances take effect retroactively from August 16.
Judges’ salaries in Syria were previously considered modest compared to living costs. Under Decree No. 7 of 2024, the average salary of a judge was about 5 million Syrian pounds per month, equivalent to less than $500 at the exchange rate at that time.
Salary and allowance increase scale for judges, from “judges under assignment” up to the head of the Central Judiciary
Judiciary staff salaries
As for administrative staff in the courts, their salaries and allowances ranged from $200 for service workers (cleaning and cafeteria staff) and telephone operators, up to $400 for registry heads and directors of enforcement departments.
Salary and allowance increase scale for court employees, from service workers and telephone operators up to registry heads
Bernieh: Judges’ salary raises a message to investors
On August 20, Syrian Finance Minister Mohammed Yosr Bernieh stated via LinkedIn that the reform of judges’ salaries, along with their assistants and employees of the Ministry of Justice, is part of a series of upcoming steps toward qualitative wage increases. He revealed that this is the second stage of the Finance Ministry’s plan to modernize Syria’s wage and salary system.
According to Bernieh, Decree No. 140 of 2025, issued on August 16, applied the new salary and allowance increases for judges and judicial employees, with the raises exempt from income tax.
He described the raises as “an important message to investors, the business sector, and the public that the Syrian state is determined to fight corruption and guarantee judicial fairness.” He called them “historic and unprecedented increases” that reflect the government’s commitment to strengthening the judiciary and reinforcing its integrity.
Under the decree, the Minister of Justice, in coordination with the Minister of Finance, will issue the executive instructions specifying job classifications, criteria for distributing positions, and the allowances due for each category.
According to the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), Bernieh met with Justice Minister Mazhar al-Weis on Wednesday to discuss mechanisms for implementing Decree No. 140 of 2025.
Al-Weis said that the new salary system would allow judges and Ministry of Justice employees to “live with dignity” and provide a proper work environment that would support swift justice, legislative improvement, combating corruption, and creating an investment-friendly climate.
Stages of salary increases
On August 30, SANA quoted Bernieh outlining three stages of wage hikes:
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First stage: The earlier decree that raised salaries for employees and retirees by 200%. With allowances included, this effectively multiplied public sector workers’ purchasing power by three, four, or even five times, according to Bernieh.
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Second stage: Sector-specific raises, such as the current increase for the judiciary. The reform set a unified salary scale for judges across provinces (e.g., the head of the Criminal Court in Aleppo now earns the same as his counterparts in Damascus and Idlib), intended to ensure a decent standard of living and shield them from corruption.
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Third stage: Scheduled for next year, this phase will be part of reforming the Civil Service Law (Law No. 50 of 2004) and aims to overhaul state salaries across the board, closing all remaining gaps.
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