Wassim Al-Qattan
وسيم القطان
Born (1976-03-04) March 4, 1976
NationalitySyrian
OccupationBusinessperson
Known forMuruj Cham Investment and Tourism Group, Adam Trading and Investment LLC

Wassim Anwar Al-Qattan (Arabic: وسيم أنور القطان; born March 4, 1976), also known as Wassim Qattan, is a Syrian businessman who holds several contracts with the Government of Syria to develop government-owned shopping malls and hotel properties in Damascus, Syria. He is President of the Rural Damascus Chamber of Commerce.[1][2] He is reportedly close to Maher al-Assad, the brother of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.[3]

In February 2020, the European Union sanctioned Al-Qattan for providing material support to the Syrian government. In July 2020, the US Department of Treasury sanctioned Wassim Al-Qattan and entities associated with him for "providing material assistance in support of the Government of Syria." The Treasury alleged that Mr. al-Qattan has ties to regime figures and holds several contracts with the Syrian government to invest in and manage government-owned shopping malls and hotels in Damascus.[4] Al-Qattan's reaction to the US Treasury sanctions was to celebrate on Facebook, describing them as a "third package of medals".[5] He is also sanctioned by the UK Treasury.[1]

Background

Wassim Al-Qattan is a Sunni from Damascus, Syria. Before 2011, he worked in an administrative position in Syriatel.[3] In 2017, Al-Qattan was assigned the management contract of the Qassioum Shopping Mall, at an annual cost of SYB 1.2 billion.[6] In 2018, the Syrian Ministry of Tourism awarded him a 45-year contract to develop prime real estate in Damascus, and management of the Massa Plaza mall.[7]

References

  1. 1 2 "Waseem AL-KATTAN". opensanctions.org. 4 March 1976. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
  2. ↑ Bernadaux, Chloe (24 June 2021). "Cultivating Cronyism: The Collapse of Agriculture in Post-War Iraq and Syria". Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Retrieved 2022-09-30.
  3. 1 2 Al-Lababidi, Mahmoud (April 2019). "Damascus Businessmen: The Phantoms of Marota City" (PDF). European University Institute, Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies.
  4. ↑ Sun, Mengqi (2020-07-29). "U.S. Imposes New Sanctions Targeting Assad Family, Syrian Military Unit". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
  5. ↑ Rosen, Kenneth (30 November 2020). "With the Assad Regime Undaunted by Sanctions, Biden Should Consider Broader Regional Pressure". The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Retrieved 2022-09-30.
  6. ↑ Khattab, Asser (2020-12-02). "Cracks in the Assad Facade". New Lines Magazine. Retrieved 2022-09-30.
  7. ↑ Daher, Joseph (2019). Syria after the uprisings : the political economy of state resilience. London. ISBN 978-1-78680-463-1. OCLC 1104716238.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
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