Syriatel senior managers defect from company owner, Rami Makhlouf

Four senior managers working for Syria’s top mobile operator, Syriatel owned by the president’s cousin Rami Makhlouf, yesterday announced their willingness to resign from the company if the regime asked them to do so.

The company’s director and the managers of information, procurement and technical affairs said in a joint statement that they had asked Makhlouf to sign the agreement with the government’s Telecommunications and Postal Regulatory Authority in order not to revoke the company’s license but he refused.

The directors stressed in their statement that they would comply with all decisions issued by authorities and accept any measures the government deems appropriate regarding the license granted to Syriatel.

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The managers added that they are ready to run the company’s affairs in any way authorities deem appropriate.

Earlier on Sunday, Makhlouf – a cousin of the Syrian regime President Bashar Al-Assad – said in a video posted on Facebook that officials had asked him to quit as head of Syriatel and hand profits over to the government.

Makhlouf said in previous posts that the Syrian authorities have ordered him to pay nearly $185 million from Syriatel; urging Assad to intervene and allow him to reschedule the payments.

The Syrian Telecommunications and Postal Regulatory Authority accuses Makhlouf of tax evasion and illicit enrichment.