Syria’s government has announced the termination of duty free contracts with companies affiliated with President Bashar al-Assad’s billionaire cousin Rami Makhlouf as part of an ongoing spat between the two men. The economy ministry, in a post Sunday on Facebook, said contracts had been cancelled to manage and operate duty free markets across Syria, including at Damascus airport and border posts with Lebanon and Jordan. The companies are mostly owned by Makhlouf who presides over an empire of businesses, including Syria’s largest mobile operator Syriatel.
