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Joel Rayburn, the special envoy for Syria, said that Samer Foz has been giving illicit help to the Iranian regime – Facilitating Shipments of Iranian Oil to Syria. He said that the action against Foz will “put pressure on the Assad regime’s key supporters, such as the Iranian regime and Hezbollah”;
In mid-July, Al-Watan published an article criticizing Syria’s Oil Ministry for awarding Sandro Overseas (Off Shore) a contract to process oil residues from eastern Syria. In analysis of the controversy, the Syria Report business newsletter said that there is a “high probability” that Sandro Overseas (Off Shore) is affiliated to Samer Foz, one of the most prominent businessmen in Syria. By winning the contract, Sandro Overseas (Off Shore) is set to replace another Lebanese company, Synergy SAL Offshore, which processed eastern Syria oil residues in 2018;
Sandro Overseas (Off Shore) is owner of Sandro tanker. Sandro and Jasmine tankers have been turning off their location transponders and conducting transfers of the Iranian oil to or from other vessels off the Syrian coast. Iran’s regime uses these tactics regularly to evade U.S. sanctions;
Fawz, who is considered as one of the most prominent businessmen in Syria, is currently accused of being an accomplice with Iran, due to his sudden appearance in the business world in Syria after making gigantic deals, starting companies and buying tourist resorts, most significantly al-waleed Bin Talal’s share at the Four Seasons Hotel. Samer Foz has sealed prominent deals at banks through his company Aman Holding, which was founded in May, 2017 with a capital of 600 million Syrian pounds. The company held three deals during the past two months with the Syria International Islamic Bank. In the first transaction, Fawz bought 7.949.842 shares in the bank for more than 7.35 billion Syrian pounds. The second deal was established by the purchasing of a million shares, worth 947.2 million pounds. The third deal was sealed on 17 January, when Fawz’s company bought an additional 1.5 million shares, i.e. 7.63 per cent of the total number of shares. In addition, Aman Holding concluded a deal with Al Baraka Bank on December 31, buying 592,250 shares worth 841 million Syrian Pounds. Thus, Fawz became the owner of the bank after the transaction. Fawz’s share is 1.18 percent of the total number of shares, according to Damascus Securities Exchange. Qouman considered that “with Fawz’s significant closeness to Iran, there is no doubt that these deals will be beneficial to Iranians in one way or another. Perhaps the Aman Holding’s funds come from Iran and thus the ownership of the aforementioned shares from Syrian banks may go back to Iran”. Qouman added that each country involved in Syria has its own businessmen, who make moves and deals which can be clearly linked to the interests of the state they serve;
“Samer Foz, his relatives, and his business empire have leveraged the atrocities of the Syrian conflict into a profit-generating enterprise. This Syrian oligarch is directly supporting the murderous Assad regime and building luxury developments on land stolen from those fleeing his brutality,”;
Samer Foz is the Chairman and General Manager of Aman Holding, which was formerly known as the Aman Group. Aman Holding owns and controls over a dozen companies, all of which benefit Samer Foz personally and ultimately allow him to invest more in Assad’s luxury reconstruction projects. Samer Foz’s Lebanon-based Lana TV, which is also being designated, has been used to solicit investment in Syria by airing commercials for Marota City;
Also Known As:
Al-Fouz, Samer
Fawaz, Samer
Fawz, Samir
Fouz, Samer
Foz, Samer Zuhair
Foz, Samir
Born:
20 May 1973
Country:
Syria
Address:
Meadows 2, Street 3, Villa 5, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Nationality:
Syria
Turkey
Saint Kitts and Nevis
National ID No.:
784197341865828 (Syria)