The United States has imposed sanctions on Samer Foz, a Syrian industrialist behind high-end developments, including the Four Seasons hotel in Damascus, for allegedly enriching President Bashar al-Assad.
“This Syrian oligarch is directly supporting the murderous Assad regime and building luxury developments on land stolen from those fleeing his brutality,” Sigal Mandelker, the Undersecretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, said in a statement on Tuesday.
The US Treasury Department blacklisted properties of Foz and his Aman Holding Company including the Four Seasons, the high-end hotel that has stayed operational during Syria’s long-running civil war.
The hotel has become a base for United Nations employees in Syria, a point of controversy for Assad opponents who question where the money paid by international staff goes.
Foz-owned ASM International General Trading and its affiliates throughout the Middle East were also included in the sanctions. ASM is involved in the grain and sugar trade, and oil field operations.
This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
