President Ahmed al-Sharaa, answering a question from the Syrian community in New York about the file of businessman Mohammad Hamsho, explained that the state had confiscated about 80% of his assets, leaving him only what was not proven to have been acquired through illegitimate means.
Al-Sharaa pointed out that Hamsho runs companies employing about 40,000 workers, warning that confiscating all of his assets would have cut off these workers' livelihoods and reflected negatively on the economy, and stressing that this approach preserved the balance between recovering funds and protecting the economy.
He added that the authorities had prevented Hamsho and others from exploiting their connections to harm the country, acknowledging that many Syrians may blame him for this decision, but that it was taken in the interest of the country and its people.
The settlement does not mean immunity from accountability
President al-Sharaa stressed that the financial settlement does not mean any immunity from accountability in other cases, and that any violation proven against Hamsho or others will take its legal course.
