It's worth mentioning that Ribal al-Assad, whom you quote, is the son of Rifaat, who, in turn, plundered Syria to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars before taking up residence in
Europe with his own family. Explaining the origin of his wealth, Rifaat blatantly stated, in an interview with Al-Arabia TV, that some businessmen friends had loaned him $50,000, which he successfully invested !
But of far more importance, and yet often neglected, was the 'legal' arrangement devised for the Presidency to have access to oil revenues - without ANY requirement for accounts. It was set during the rule of Hafiz al-Assad, and it is estimated that the accumulated value of the investments accruing from 30,000 to 50,000 barrels per day could be up to $ 100 Billions.
The Assads' true wealth is probably known only to Putin and Austrian banks.
It's worth mentioning that Ribal al-Assad, whom you quote, is the son of Rifaat, who, in turn, plundered Syria to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars before taking up residence in
Europe with his own family. Explaining the origin of his wealth, Rifaat blatantly stated, in an interview with Al-Arabia TV, that some businessmen friends had loaned him $50,000, which he successfully invested !
But of far more importance, and yet often neglected, was the 'legal' arrangement devised for the Presidency to have access to oil revenues - without ANY requirement for accounts. It was set during the rule of Hafiz al-Assad, and it is estimated that the accumulated value of the investments accruing from 30,000 to 50,000 barrels per day could be up to $ 100 Billions.
The Assads' true wealth is probably known only to Putin and Austrian banks.