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THREAD: In The Times today: How Mudalal Khouri and his network helped the Syrian war effort (£) - thanks @RichardJSpencer.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/world/syrian-in-moscow-helped-assad-build-chemical-arsenal-0lm829hvt
Thread below explains more, from investigations published by @Global_Witness and @OCCRP today.
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https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/world/syrian-in-moscow-helped-assad-build-chemical-arsenal-0lm829hvt
Thread below explains more, from investigations published by @Global_Witness and @OCCRP today.
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The Syrian-Russian network of shell companies seemingly played a role in laundering $m from several mid 2000s frauds: including the tax fraud uncovered by Sergei Magnitsky & a Panama Papers scandal connected to Russian President Putin's close friend, cellist Sergei Roldugin.
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. @sarafarolfi and @stylian65 found out that Khouri network companies transacted with other laundromats previously uncovered by @OCCRP: the Troika Laundromat, Russian Laundromat, and the 'Proxy platform': https://www.occrp.org/en/investigations/laundering-misery-the-khouri-networks-global-reach
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When Assad started brutally suppressing the Syrian revolution but was rapidly running out of men, money and fuel, the head of the network, Mudalal Khouri, put some of his companies at the service of the Assad regime.
4/ https://www.globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/corruption-and-money-laundering/assads-money-men-in-moscow/
4/ https://www.globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/corruption-and-money-laundering/assads-money-men-in-moscow/
They facilitated the purchase of fuel, banknotes and attempted to purchase ammonium nitrate - capable of being used in either fertilizer or explosives.
(Might be same banknotes uncovered by @propublica's @DafnaLinzer, Jeff Larson & @MichaelGrabell):
https://www.propublica.org/article/flight-records-list-russia-sending-tons-of-cash-to-syria
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(Might be same banknotes uncovered by @propublica's @DafnaLinzer, Jeff Larson & @MichaelGrabell):
https://www.propublica.org/article/flight-records-list-russia-sending-tons-of-cash-to-syria
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But according to our research some members of the Khouri Network also provided suspected front companies for the Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Centre - the entity responsible for chemical weapons and ballistic missiles.
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Sanctions notices list the owner of these front companies as Issa al Zeydi, but he was actually an employee of Mudalal Khouri. Al Zeydi admits helping purchase banknotes but says he had nothing to do with chemical weapons.
(Issa and Mudalal together at Issa's 80th birthday).
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(Issa and Mudalal together at Issa's 80th birthday).
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Another suspected SSRC front company - through which millions appear to have flowed - was directed by a former Khouri employee and owned by a kebab chef who was a family friend - they may have had their names used without their permission.
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Great @Global_Witness research by principal investigator @IKoshiw also shows that a Khouri network member helped the Makhlouf family - cousins of President Assad - to purchase $40 million of property in Moscow - previously reported:
9/ https://www.globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/corruption-and-money-laundering/assad-henchmens-russian-refuge/
9/ https://www.globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/corruption-and-money-laundering/assad-henchmens-russian-refuge/
More recently Khouri employees and business associates seem to have taken control of Russian Financial Society, now also sanctioned by the US for helping UN- and US-sanctioned North Korean firms and DPRK state officials.
https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sm712
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https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sm712
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The project stitched together sanctions notices, interviews, data analysis & footwork to build a picture of the network. We wrote to Mudalal & others mentioned: few responded and those that did denied the allegations, you can read their responses in the report and article.
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The project builds on great work into FBME bank- which housed some Khouri firms - by @stylian65 at the Cyprus Mail, and @TomBWarren & @alexcampbell at Buzzfeed. And on @michaeldweiss's work on Issa's connections to the fraud Magnitsky uncovered.
12/ https://www.buzzfeed.com/alexcampbell/kremlin-linked-slush-funds-exposed
12/ https://www.buzzfeed.com/alexcampbell/kremlin-linked-slush-funds-exposed
Thanks to @Global_Witness staff - esp MM, TM, PJ, translators AA & IM, legal by KD; the team @IKoshiw, @sarafarolfi, @stylian65 & @MohAboelgheit; NS at @CVDCS_SY; & great fact checkers (OL) & editors JW & Paul @OCCRP for their patient collaboration.
13/ https://www.globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/corruption-and-money-laundering/assads-money-men-in-moscow/
13/ https://www.globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/corruption-and-money-laundering/assads-money-men-in-moscow/
The whole affair was made possible by the western offshore industry - anonymous companies and laundromats are double edged weapons - if you leave them lying around, people will pick them up and use the support regimes like President Assad's Syria.
/ENDS
/ENDS
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