A survey conducted by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and the Observatory of Political and Economic Networks (Open) shows that, behind an opaque financial arrangement, hides a Malaysian company linked to the guards of the revolution Iranian, armed wing of the Islamic Republic.
by Hélène Sallon (Beirut, correspondent)
President Bashar al-Assad is not a mystery of his intention to take control of the telecommunications sector in Syria. The granting, in February, of a license to the company WAFA Telecom as the third mobile operator in the country reinforced its stranglehold in this lucrative sector, after the takeover of the two other operators, Syriatel and MTN Syria. The State and Syrian businessmen linked to the Assad clan appear among the shareholders, including the now unavoidable Yasser Ibrahim, economic advisor to the president and key man of the Empire that the latter built with his wife, Asma.
The secret was well kept on the majority shareholder. Purposely. A survey conducted by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and the Observatory of Political and Economic Networks (Open), published on Friday December 9, reveals that, behind an opaque financial arrangement, hides a Malaysian company linked to the goalkeeper of the Iranian revolution, the armed wing of the Islamic Republic.
This partnership with the Syrian power constitutes a “return on investment” expected by Iran in return for the support he provided to the Assad regime in the civil war. Since the outbreak of the conflict in March 2011, Tehran has financed the Shiite militias that fought in the loyalist ranks and supported the country’s economy, in particular by importing on petroleum credit. In May 2020, the Iranian deputy Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh estimated that Iran had helped Syria up to $ 20 billion at $ 30 billion. Bilateral trade has however remained at a symbolic level, hampered by Western sanctions. Iran has been delighted with many projects by Russia, whose diplomatic and military support has been decisive to maintain the Assad regime.
“Difficult to say no to the Iranians”
Entry into this leading sector, which is also a strategic surveillance, thus confirms Tehran’s ambitions in Syria. Telecommunications remain profitable despite the economic decline trained by war, frequent electricity cuts, and the destruction of almost 60 % of infrastructure. In 2021, the profit cumulative by the shareholders of MTN Syria and Syriatel amounted to $ 46 million, after they paid its share, nearly $ 38 million. “This represents 3 % of state revenues, which is not negligible,” said economist Jihad Yazigi, editor -in -chief of the online economic letter Syria Report. Very favorable conditions have been granted to the new operator to make a place in front of the duopoly which has dominated this market of 12 million users since 2001: Wafa Telecom has obtained a three -year monopoly to deploy the 5G network and the authorization to ‘Offer a half price package to its first three million users.
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