"Is anyone surprised that it was all about greed on an industrial scale?"
#Syrian dictator #Assad dispatched at least two tons of euros and dollars from #Syria's central bank to #Russia – #Financial_Times.
The #Syrian authorities sent planes with millions of dollars and euros in cash to #Russia when ousted president #Bashar_al_Assad was still in power, the #Financial_Times reported, citing confidential documents.
According to the #FT, the operations were carried out in 2018-2019, and the funds themselves belonged to the Central Bank of #Syria. At the same time, as an informed source noted, during this period, the country experienced an acute shortage of foreign currency. At that time, the reserves were "almost zero," he emphasized.
Despite this, #Assad's government transported the equivalent of $250 million in cash in dollars and euros to #Moscow's #Vnukovo airport – $100 and €500 bills
weighing about two tons.
A total of 21 flights with foreign currency were made between March 2018 and September 2019. All funds imported into #Russia were subsequently housed in #Russian banks.
Moreover, the #Assad family secretly acquired assets in #Russia, including luxury real estate. They bought at least 19 luxury apartments in the elite district of #Moscow with a total value of at least $40 million.
Source: https://www.ft.com/content/84ef8bdd-d070-431d-90f6-332937911096
Putin's IBS