“These wealthy people were not satisfied with impoverishing the country, but rather they turned to loot humanitarian institutions and their projects by selling their assets and leaving them without projects or income to impoverish the poor and prevent them from finding an outlet to survive,” he said on Facebook.

Makhlouf, who is also the president’s cousin, explained that he had sent several letters to the Syrian government “without a response”, adding that he sent on Monday a letter to the chairman of the High Judicial Council to report those who commandeered his companies.

A few months ago, the Syrian regime seized the Al-Bustan Association run by Makhlouf and arrested its director, Samer Darwish.