The new designations encompass an economic advisor to the Syrian leader, three prominent business figures, and two individuals linked to the Assad family, as well as the Al-Dj Group, Cham Wings, Freebird Travel Agency, Iloma Investment Private JSC, and Al-Aqila Company, according to the Council of the European Union.
“Those listed under the sanctions regime are subject to an asset freeze. The provision of funds or economic resources, directly or indirectly, to them or for their benefit is also prohibited,” the Council said in a statement on Monday. It further mentioned that the listed individuals will not be able to travel to the EU.
Some of the sanctioned businessmen and companies were the subjects of several OCCRP investigations.
Mahmoud al-Dj, according to a story published in 2021, in which he was identified as Mahmud Abdulilah Dajj, was implicated in a well-organized criminal network responsible for the thriving Mediterranean drug trade, fueled by Syria’s civil war.
The EU Council describes him as a “leading business person operating in Syria, who owns several companies active in different sectors such as logistics and tourism,” and the one who “facilitates illicit transactions between regime-affiliated persons and entities in Syria and Eastern Libya, including in relation to narcotics, and the shipments of arms and mercenaries.”
Another individual added to the EU sanctions list is Yassar Hussein, an economic advisor to Bashar al-Assad. Hussein also operates in the economic council overseen by Syria’s First Lady, Asma al-Assad.
An OCCRP investigation exposed Hussein, aka Yasar Ibrahim, as a young presidential aide holding shares in numerous Syrian companies. He had reportedly played a key role in the “mafia-like” takeover of Syria’s telecoms operators.
The EU imposed sanctions on Syria in 2011 in reaction to the Assad regime’s brutal suppression of the civilian population. The sanctions focus on the Assad regime, its backers, and sectors of the economy that contribute to the regime’s financial gains.
