The head of the Syrian organization for financial control Ahmad Zaitoun announced the seizure of 383 million Syrian liras (about $8 million) as a result of investigating 136 cases of suspected corruption across the country.

The Syrian Prime Minister 'Adil Safar has order the formation of a committee whose terms of reference are to define and describe criminal corruption practices and how to pursue and punish the perpetrators.

[Editor's comment: The prime minister's order is admirable. The question is, Can he go after the likes of billionaire Rami Makhlouf, President Bashar al-Assad's cousin, Bahjat Suleiman, the son of a former intelligence chief, who controls the media or the son of former minister of defense Mustafa Tlass who has a monopoly over the sugar business? This is very doubtful.]

Source: Al-Hayat, London, May 18, 2011