Enab Baladi – Wasim al-Adwi
The Central Commission for Control and Inspection has reopened one of the major corruption cases first uncovered by agents of the Central Organization for Financial Control during the former regime’s rule. The case, which occurred between the reservation offices of Syrian Airlines and its Department of Commercial Affairs and Marketing, dates back to about nine months before the regime’s fall.
A source familiar with the case, who requested anonymity, told Enab Baladi that a specialized team from the Commission began investigating an embezzlement case exceeding 13 billion Syrian pounds (around 1.1 million USD), carried out through the Commercial Affairs and Marketing Department (reservation offices) at Syrian Airlines. The offices had allegedly issued fake airline tickets and processed payments outside legal frameworks. The team has already begun taking testimonies in connection with the case.
According to the source, Syrian Airlines has now become a focal point of the Commission’s investigations, after the inspection team obtained “documents” exposing an organized network within the company that exploited digital privileges in the central booking and ticketing system to embezzle billions in Syrian and foreign currencies.
A former director in Syrian Airlines’ Commercial Affairs and Marketing Department, also speaking to Enab Baladi on condition of anonymity, said that the Commission had summoned two former directors of Syrian Airlines and a technical manager to testify after reopening the case, which involves large-scale fraud and forgery.
How the corruption began
Documents obtained by Enab Baladi reveal more detailed information about the case, the identities of those involved, and the true scope of the embezzled sums.
These documents, copies of which are in Enab Baladi’s possession, include a letter sent by the Central Organization for Financial Control to the Prime Ministry on October 10, 2024, accompanied by a ten-page investigative report dated October 2, 2024. The report, addressed to the Attorney General in the Damascus Palace of Justice, presents the final findings of the investigation into violations committed by Syrian Airlines.
According to the report, financial control agents, working with the Ministry of Communications and Technology, uncovered in April 2024 a sophisticated network of employees and IT specialists within the airline who manipulated the computerized system by redefining “admin” privileges to create fake offices and accounts. The report described it as one of the largest cases of “digital corruption” ever recorded in Syria.
Forged “Airline Tickets” Accounts
The scheme’s origins date back to 2023, when the former director of Commercial Affairs and Marketing, identified as (S. A.), exploited his authority as COMDIR (system administrator) to create fake accounts within the reservation and ticketing system. These included unauthorized offices for payments labeled “FARE SECTION,” “SALES SECTION,” “TEST OFFICE,” and others.
These accounts were linked to the names of real current and former employees, making the scheme difficult to detect for an extended period. The reservation offices then issued tickets and collected cash payments outside official channels, bypassing the company’s financial records.
A Parallel Corruption Network Inside “Syrian Airlines”
Investigations revealed the involvement of several senior officials within Syrian Airlines, including: (S. A.), identified as the mastermind; three heads of reservation offices, (T. H.), (Y. Sh.), and (W. F.); (Y. F.) from the Internal Sales Audit Division; and (A. N.) from the Electronic Systems and Commerce Department.
The report noted that multiple accounts were created under names such as “BUSHRA,” “AKBIK SAEDABDALAL,” “MODAR,” “DARWICH,” and “SUPPORT,” granting extensive access to unauthorized users.
Fake Digital Accounts
A technical investigation conducted by the Ministry of Communications confirmed that the fake accounts were created internally by users with high-level administrative privileges. Analysts identified the IP addresses, login times, and activity logs linking them to the airline’s internal systems.
The final forensic report verified that booking and ticketing operations were indeed carried out using these accounts between 2023 and April 2024, making them digitally proven criminal acts beyond dispute.
The Financial Impact: More Than Just Numbers
According to the final report, the thefts resulting from these violations amounted to:
10.8 billion Syrian pounds
105,967 US dollars
880,000 Russian rubles
123,722 UAE dirhams
8,068 Qatari riyals
136,340 Egyptian pounds
The report added that one of the defendants (A. N.) repaid only the amount owed in his name, about 237 million Syrian pounds, while it was not stated whether the other defendants had made similar repayments, or whether either the Commission or the company had formally pursued recovery of the remaining sums.
Charges and Legal Proceedings
Based on the investigation’s findings, all defendants, except (A. N.), were referred to the competent court on charges of embezzlement of public funds, breach of trust, cyber fraud, and impersonation of digital accounts, in accordance with the Economic Crimes Law No. 3 of 2013 and the Cybercrime Law No. 20 of 2022.
A precautionary seizure was also imposed on their assets and those of their spouses as a guarantee for reimbursement.
A former manager in the Commercial Affairs and Marketing Department confirmed to Enab Baladi that all individuals implicated in the corruption case had been suspended and had gone into hiding since April 2024.
Post-Hack Recommendations
The investigation did not stop with the main perpetrators; it also held administrative officials (B. A.) and (A. Q.) responsible for negligence in the Commercial Affairs and Marketing Directorate, citing their failure to monitor security alerts and conduct regular audits of digital signatures, which allowed fake accounts to go undetected.
The final report issued by the Central Organization for Financial Control recommended a full-scale overhaul of the electronic system, including:
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Conducting a comprehensive and periodic audit of all digital signatures and user privileges.
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Requiring written and documented approvals before granting access rights.
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Review all offices registered in the system to verify their legitimacy.
Missing Judicial Records
To determine which court was handling the corruption case, or whether it had been suspended like many other cases under the former regime, Enab Baladi reviewed records at the Public Prosecutor’s Office in the Damascus Palace of Justice. It found that several postal logs from 2024 and other years were “missing,” including the register documenting receipt of the airline case report and the name of the investigating financial judge to whom it was assigned.
Lawyer (A. N.) told Enab Baladi that the loss of these records occurred amid the chaos that swept Damascus following the regime’s fall, during which prisoners were released, and courthouses in the capital and surrounding areas were looted and destroyed. He added that courts had postponed issuing warrants against suspects in financial crimes, prioritizing cases already ready for adjudication.
Justice Ministry: Warrants for the Fugitives
In January 2025, former Acting Minister of Justice Shadi al-Waisi issued a circular instructing all courts, investigative offices, and prosecution departments to proceed with the trials of defendants in ongoing cases, issue police warrants for wanted individuals based on their judicial files, and arrest fugitives to return them to detention centers.
According to the circular, the mass releases during the “liberation operations” that freed political prisoners also allowed some detainees and convicts in criminal and financial cases to escape.
Al-Waisi stressed that “criminals must not benefit from the gains of the Syrian revolution or hide behind its banner,” underscoring the need to preserve victims’ personal rights.
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