Assad's final flight: Untold riches escape collapsing regime
Before Syrian President Bashar al-Assad fled the country from the rebels, he reportedly transported bags of money, valuables, documents, and disks with important information from Syria, according to unofficial findings by Reuters.
Reuters reported on Thursday that in December 2024, Assad "evacuated" assets using an Embraer Legacy 600 aircraft, which made several flights to the United Arab Emirates and back to Syria over two days before the regime's fall. The agency spoke with 14 Syrian sources familiar with this process. Reuters was unable to determine whether Assad directly orchestrated the operation to transport assets, but sources emphasized that the mission would have been impossible without the "blessing" of the former leader.
On December 6th, the plane made two trips, with Assad's family members and associates leaving Syria on board. The aircraft transported money, paintings, and small sculptures. On the evening of the following day, the plane was loaded with black bags full of cash. Onboard were also hard drives and electronic equipment containing data on finances and properties.
On December 8th, when rebels entered Damascus, the airport in the capital ceased operations, and Assad fled to Latakia in western Syria. A plane hired by his advisor at this time departed from Abu Dhabi, headed to Syria, and landed at the Russian base in Hmeimim (as the Russians were aiding the regime in fighting the rebels). A close associate of Assad then flew out of Syria with about 570,000 Canadian dollars in cash. Assad, whose whereabouts were concealed until the last moment even from his family, arrived in Russia on December 8th, where he received political asylum.
Thirteen years of civil war
The government of Bashar al-Assad, an ally of Moscow, was overthrown in December 2024 by rebel forces that now hold power in Syria. This was the outcome of the civil war that began in the country in 2011.
The new Syrian authorities intend to recover public funds taken out on the eve of the regime's collapse to support the country's economy, a representative of the Syrian authorities told the agency. They do not know how much money the former leader removed from Syria.
In early April, The Moscow Times reported that the Kremlin is trying to maintain its influence in Syria, taking advantage of the energy crisis that worsened after Bashar al-Assad's ousting. Russia has begun supplying oil and gas to support the new regime while refusing to extradite the fled dictator, which escalates tensions with Syria's new authorities.
In mid-December last year, the "Financial Times" reported that the Assad regime transferred about 340 million Canadian dollars in cash to Russia when Syria was reliant on Russian military support. The money was deposited in banks in Moscow, while the dictator's family invested in local real estate.
