📰 Syria’s financial watchdog probes 246 corruption cases in 2025

Damascus, Dec. 25(SANA) The Central Organization of Financial Control maintained an accelerated pace of work throughout 2025, prioritizing the recovery of state and citizens’ rights, uncovering corruption cases and protecting public funds from waste, within a previously declared institutional framework focused on enhancing governance, financial accountability, documenting public spending paths and assessing their impact on institutional performance and service quality. 246 corruption cases investigated Head of the Central Organization of Financial Control Mohamed Omar Kdied stated that since the beginning of the current year, 246 proven corruption cases have been investigated in several public bodies dating back to the era of the deposed regime, consequently of audit and review work covering multiple service, administrative and financial sectors.

Asset recovery measures Regarding corruption cases and violations in the execution of public expenditures during 2024, Kdied stated audit and inspection work conducted by the organization’s inspectors uncovered multiple violations that were duly documented, with numerous referred to competent bodies for investigation and the necessary legal measures taken against those involved, in accordance with applicable regulations. Indeed, as per statistics on the organization’s work since the liberation of Syria to date, obtained by SANA, the total volume of financial corruption uncovered amounted to about 527 billion Syrian pounds, furthermore to $3 billion, $385 million and $764,000, and €14774,000 million. By contrast, funds actually recovered to date reached 75 billion Syrian pounds, $308,353, and €68,480, within the framework of precautionary and enforcement measures taken.

On legal and administrative measures against those implicated, Kdied said 54 travel-ban orders were issued and 62 precautionary seizures imposed on movable and immovable assets, ensuring the protection of state rights, preventing the transfer or disposal of funds, and reflecting the authority’s seriousness in pursuing cases through to their final stages. Development pillars Kdied said the authority adopted an integrated reform program over the past year, restructuring the oversight institution and raising its professional and technical readiness to strengthen its role in protecting public funds and combating corruption during the economic recovery phase. The reforms covered four core pillars, led by comprehensive institutional restructuring.

Comprehensive structural reform as per the organization, the structure was developed to end previous overlaps and grant oversight units greater independence and capacity by separating audit directorates from budget, studies and IT departments and linking them directly to the head of the organization. emerging specialized directorates were established, including risk management and…