Report: U.S. May Sanction Miqati over Financial Ties with Assad

W300

The staff of the U.S. Treasury Department, which is in charge of following up on the financial activities of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s family and entourage, believe that they are getting closer to unveiling a link between Assad’s financial interests and Premier Najib Miqati and his brother Taha, who is also a businessman.

According to a U.S. report to be published Friday by the Kuwaiti daily al-Rai, the set of sanctions recently imposed on Syriatel -- Syria’s largest mobile phone operator owned by Assad’s cousin Rami Makhlouf -- were supposed to be expanded to include either Miqati or his brother Taha for their role in establishing the Syrian firm and introducing the cellphone technology to the Syrian market more than a decade ago.

“There are major financial ties between Syria and Lebanon and a large number of officials in both countries have been targeted by U.S. sanctions … and the Miqati family has ties with the Assad family, and we are working on documenting and substantiating this information,” U.S. sources told the newspaper.

Comments 9
Thumb shab over 12 years

Excellent, wait till all Syrian money is back in Lebanese baniks and then freeze everything

Default-user-icon Gabby (Guest) over 12 years

Miquati made a big mistake taking the PM position for Syria and the Hezz. Oh by the way sanction the Hezz too. It is about time all of these criminals get what they deserve.

Default-user-icon Lancelot DuLac (Guest) over 12 years

Well actually, Mikati established Syriatel's competitor in Syria, but yeah, freeze his assets. That'll teach him to stab everyone in the back and ally himself with a terrorist militia just to satisfy his own political ambitions.

Thumb benzona over 12 years

His assets should be frozen and eventually seized and returned to the Syrian people after the collapse of the Assad regime. Same goes Hezbollah, the money should ne returned to the starving Iranian people. Same goes for hariri and other political tycoons.

Thumb joesikemrex over 12 years

Just DO it

Default-user-icon STL fairy tale (Guest) over 12 years

Obamama is is fair. He plans to sanction the Hariri family too. Obamama wants to give back the Lebanese people all the money maestro Rafiq has stolen over the years to become rich and richer.

Default-user-icon MrBrain1 (Guest) over 12 years

why this hatred again Mr Miqati? what did he do?

Default-user-icon marie (Guest) over 12 years

yes lock him up ( miqati ) plus all the crooks in this cabinet

Default-user-icon sacre (Guest) over 12 years

To Mr. Brain1, If you do not yet know what Mikati has done, then you should change your name to something more realistic like Mr. Stupid 1.