Syria to seize Al Kharafi family’s assets after Assad’s man was arrested in Kuwait

Syria’s Finance Ministry  ordered on Tuesday the seizure of Al Kharafi family’s assets in Syria, a source told Lebanese daily Annahar.

The source did not provide any details on the decision which targets one of Kuwait’s wealthiest families. The decision comes a day after Kuwaiti authorities arrested Mazen Al-Tarazi, a prominent Syrian businessman with close ties to Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Kuwait Al-Qabas newspaper reported that Al-Tarazi, known as Al-Assad’s man, was arrested from his office in the El-Heddaf newspaper.

According to the paper, Al-Tarazi has been arrested following investigations that may include looking into if he has been “communicating and spying for Lebanese Hezbollah group”.

Al-Tarazi initially denied all charges against him, however, evidence collected from electronic devices and documents confiscated from his office refers to his involvement, the paper added.

It quoted an unnamed security source who is familiar with the affair as saying that “the security authorities released on Tuesday morning, an Egyptian citizen after investigations found that he was not involved in the case and arrested a Lebanese citizen in the same case”.

Al-Tarazi has been living in Kuwait for many years and owns advertising companies there. He founded companies in Syria, including a private airline. He is also reported to have paid for Syrians to be repatriated to their country.

Tarazi is one of the main Syrian businessmen backing the Bashar al-Assad regime. He has always been keen to donate to it and the so-called “Martyrs Schools” for children of regime forces, while also participating in protests in the United States in front of the White House in support of the Syrian regime.

Agencies