the air mission to smuggle the Syrian despot’s valuables

[ad_1] By Feras Dalatey, Joanna Plucinska, Reade Levinson, Maha El Dahan

DAMASCUS/LONDON/DUBAI (Reuters) -As his enemies closed in on Damascus, Bashar al-Assad, who dominated over Syria with an iron fist for twenty-four years, used a non-public jet to spirit away money, valuables and confidential paperwork mapping the company net behind his wealth.

Yasar Ibrahim, the president's prime financial adviser, organized the leasing of the airplane to move Assad's treasured belongings, relations, aides and presidential palace personnel to the United Arab Emirates aboard 4 flights, in accordance with an account of the operation pieced collectively by Reuters from greater than a dozen sources.

Ibrahim, who ran the financial and monetary workplace of the presidency, was instrumental in making a community of entities Assad used to regulate swathes of Syria's financial system, typically appearing as a entrance for the previous ruler, in accordance with U.S. sanctions notices, in addition to consultants on Syria's financial system and one supply inside Assad's enterprise community.

Western nations imposed sanctions on Assad following his repression of 2011 pro-democracy protests and afterward Ibrahim for helping the regime.

The Embraer Legacy 600 jet made the 4 back-to-back journeys to Syria within the 48 hours earlier than the regime's fall, in accordance with a Reuters overview of flight monitoring data. The airplane, which has the tail quantity C5-SKY, is registered in Gambia.

The fourth flight departed on December 8 from the Russian-operated Hmeimim navy air base, close to Latakia, on Syria’s Mediterranean coast, in accordance with flight monitoring data, a satellite tv for pc picture and a former Air Pressure Intelligence supply with direct data of the operation. Assad fled to Russia on the identical day from the identical base.

The operation to extract Assad's belongings from Syria has not been beforehand reported. Reuters spoke to 14 Syrian sources with data of the scheme, together with airport employees, former intelligence and Presidential Guard officers and an individual inside Assad's enterprise community.

The information company additionally reviewed a WhatsApp dialog between Ibrahim's associates, flight monitoring knowledge, satellite tv for pc pictures, and company and aviation possession registers on three continents to assemble its account of how Assad's closest confidant orchestrated secure passage for the airplane.

The jet carried unmarked black luggage of money holding a minimum of $500,000 in addition to paperwork, laptops and arduous drives with key intelligence about "The Group", the codename Assad and Ibrahim's associates used for the intricate community of entities spanning telecoms, banking, actual property, power and different actions, in accordance with the person inside Assad's community, a former Air Pressure Intelligence officer and the WhatsApp dialog.

Assad, whose whereabouts was saved secret from even shut members of the family within the final frantic days of his regime, has been granted political asylum in Russia. Reuters was unable to succeed in him or Ibrahim for remark. The international ministries of Russia and the UAE did not reply to questions concerning the operation.

The federal government of recent president Ahmed al-Sharaa is set to get better public funds taken overseas within the run as much as Assad's fall, a senior official informed Reuters, to assist Syria's financial system because it labours underneath sanctions and a forex scarcity.

The official confirmed to Reuters that cash was smuggled in a foreign country earlier than the previous ruler's ouster, however didn't elaborate how, including that authorities have been nonetheless figuring out the place the cash went.

Reuters couldn't independently decide whether or not Assad actively directed the escape operation. A number of sources with direct data of the mission mentioned it couldn't have occurred with out the ruler's blessing.

'YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THIS PLANE'

On December 6, as rebels led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham marched in direction of the capital, the 13-seater Embraer jet approached Damascus Worldwide Airport.

Greater than a dozen employees within the camouflage uniforms of Syria's Air Pressure Intelligence - a major instrument of political repression underneath Assad - mobilised to protect the Corridor of Ceremonies, the airport's VIP part, and its entry route, in accordance with six sources with data of the operation. 4 of those sources mentioned they have been on the scene.

A handful of civilian automobiles with tinted home windows approached the world, three of the folks on web site mentioned. The automobiles belonged to the elite Republican Guard, tasked to guard Assad and the Presidential Palace, mentioned two of the folks on web site - the previous intelligence officer and a senior airport official.

The involvement of the Republican Guard meant that "Bashar (al-Assad) gave the orders" referring to the operation, in accordance with a former senior Republican Guard member. The guard answered solely to its commander, Assad’s cousin Normal Talal Makhlouf, or Assad himself, this individual added.

The pinnacle of airport safety, Brigadier-Normal Ghadeer Ali, informed airport employees that Air Pressure Intelligence personnel would deal with the plane, in accordance with Mohammed Qairout, head of floor operations with Syrian Air.

"This airplane is coming to land and we are going to cope with it," Qairout recalled being informed by Ali. "You haven't seen this airplane."

Ali, a senior Air Pressure Intelligence officer, took orders straight from the Presidential Palace, three Syrian airport officers and the previous intelligence officer mentioned.

Reuters couldn't attain Ali for remark.

FINAL HOURS

The C5-SKY airplane flew every time to Abu Dhabi's Al Bateen Govt Airport, utilized by dignitaries and identified for its strict privateness, Flightradar24 knowledge present.

At first, the jet left Dubai on Dec. 6 and landed in Damascus round midday native time (0900 GMT). It then flew to Al Bateen airport and was again in Damascus simply after 10 p.m.

Every time it landed, "automobiles rushed in direction of the airplane, staying for a short while after which leaving simply earlier than the airplane took off once more," mentioned one in every of 5 sources working on the airport.

Ali informed Air Pressure Intelligence employees that Presidential Palace personnel and relations of Assad - together with youngsters - have been resulting from board the primary two flights that left Damascus on December 6, which additionally carried money, in accordance with the previous intelligence officer on the scene.

Reuters couldn't entry a manifest for the 4 flights to verify the airplane’s passengers or cargo.

The second flight from Damascus additionally transported work and a few small sculptures, mentioned the identical supply.

On Dec. 7, the jet was again in Damascus round 4 p.m. and left for Al Bateen for a 3rd time over an hour later, this time loaded with luggage of money in addition to arduous drives and digital gadgets containing details about Assad's company community, in accordance with the intelligence officer and the supply inside Assad's enterprise community.

The saved data included monetary data, minutes of conferences, possession of corporations, actual property and partnerships, in addition to particulars of money transfers and offshore corporations and accounts, this supply mentioned.

This time, autos belonging to the UAE embassy in Damascus approached the VIP airport space earlier than the jet took off, mentioned the previous intelligence officer, which he mentioned steered the UAE was conscious of the operation.

DETOUR TO RUSSIAN BASE

Early on December 8, insurgent fighters reached Damascus, prompting Assad to flee for his coastal stronghold of Latakia, in coordination with Russian forces. Damascus airport stopped working.

Shortly after midnight that day, the C5-SKY jet left Al Bateen one final time. After passing over the town of Homs, north of Damascus, at round 3 a.m. native time, the airplane dropped off flight monitoring protection for about six hours earlier than reappearing over Homs, headed again to Abu Dhabi, knowledge from Flightradar24 present.

Throughout that window, it landed on the Hmeimim base within the Latakia province, in accordance with the previous intelligence officer.

A satellite tv for pc picture taken at 9:11 a.m. by Planet Labs captured the airplane on the runway at Hmeimim. Reuters was capable of affirm the Embraer jet within the picture was C5-SKY primarily based on the scale and form and flight monitoring knowledge. The jet was the one non-public airplane flying out and in of Syria between December 6 and December 8, flight monitoring knowledge present.

Aboard the flight from Hmeimim was Ahmed Khalil Khalil, a detailed affiliate of Ibrahim lively inside Assad's community, in accordance with the Air Pressure Intelligence officer, the supply inside Assad's enterprise empire and the WhatsApp dialog. Khalil is underneath Western sanctions for supporting the previous regime by working and controlling a number of companies in Syria.

He had reached the Russian base in an Emirati embassy armoured automobile and was carrying $500,000 in money, in accordance with the individual inside Assad's community and the WhatsApp messages.

Khalil had withdrawn the cash two days earlier from an account with the Syria Worldwide Islamic Financial institution (SIIB), in accordance with the identical sources.

The individual inside Assad's circle mentioned the account belongs to Damascus-based Al-Burj Investments. The corporate is 50% owned by Ibrahim, in accordance with The Syria Report, an internet platform that incorporates a company database compiled by Syria consultants which cited 2018 official Syrian data.

Khalil didn't reply to a request for remark despatched through his Fb account. SIIB and Al-Burj didn't reply to emails looking for remark.

The person inside Assad’s enterprise circle and a former official at Syria's Air Transport Authority mentioned the Embraer jet was working underneath a 'dry lease', by which the proprietor supplies the plane, however no crew, pilot, upkeep, floor operations or insurance coverage.

Reuters couldn’t decide who operated the flights.

Ibrahim reached Abu Dhabi on Dec. 11, this individual added.

Requested concerning the airplane in an interview with Reuters, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa declined to remark.

'THE LEBANESE PLANE'

Ibrahim leased the jet from Lebanese businessman Mohamad Wehbe, in accordance with a member of Syria's enterprise elite and the supply inside Assad's community. Within the WhatsApp dialog the jet was described by one in every of Ibrahim’s associates as "the Lebanese airplane".

Wehbe owns Flying Airline FZCO, registered as a Dubai Free Zone firm, in accordance with his LinkedIn profile.

In April 2024, Mohamad Wehbe posted footage of C5-SKY on LinkedIn with the caption, "welcome". In January, the businessman wrote in a separate LinkedIn submit that the plane was on the market.

The airplane was registered in Gambia to a neighborhood firm, Flying Airline Firm, from April 2024. Flight monitoring data present that, within the months previous Assad's fall, the plane had flown to Assad's ally Russia, at the moment underneath Western aviation sanctions for its invasion of Ukraine.

Reuters was unable to succeed in the registered contact for Flying Airline Firm in Gambia, Sheikh Tijan Jallow.

Flying Airline Co. is 30%-owned by one other Lebanese nationwide, Oussama Wehbe, and 70%-owned by Iraqi nationwide Safa Ahmed Saleh, as per Gambian data.

Social media present Mohamad Wehbe has a son named Oussama who additionally works within the aviation business. Reuters couldn't affirm if he is identical man on the Gambian registry.

Contacted by Reuters, Mohamad Wehbe denied any involvement with the C5-SKY flights out and in of Syria and informed Reuters he doesn't personal the airplane however merely rents it "typically" from a dealer, whose identify he declined to offer. He didn't reply to questions on whether or not his son was concerned.

Oussama Wehbe didn't reply to a request for remark. Reuters couldn't find Safa Ahmed Saleh.

(Reporting by Firas Al Daalati in Damascus, Joanna Plucinska and Reade Levinson in London, Maha El Dahan in Dubai; Extra reporting by Jonathan Saul in London, Timour Azhari, Samia Nakhoul and Maya Gebeily in Damascus, Robbie Corey-Boulet and Portia Crowe in Dakar, Gleb Stolyarov in Tbilisi and Lisa Jucca in Milan; Enhancing by Lisa Jucca)