The Committee to Combat Illicit Gain issued an explanatory statement in response to questions circulating in some quarters about the fate of assets, real estate and establishments that were transferred or disposed of during the period following the liberation, and whether such actions terminate the right of the State to prosecute assets that are tainted by suspicions of graft or prevent their recovery.

In a statement published on its Facebook page on Thursday, the committee stressed that the committee's work is based on the provisions of the Syrian law in force, and the international standards adopted in the field of combating corruption and asset recovery, foremost of which is the United Nations Convention against Corruption, to which the Syrian Arab Republic is a party, which constitutes the established international reference in this regard.

The Committee explained that these criteria unequivocally establish that the transfer of the asset into the name of another person, its conversion into money or proceeds, or its exchange for other assets, does not in itself lead to the interruption of the State's right to verify, trace and take the necessary legal action, where there is a serious suspicion that such assets or their proceeds are linked to illicit gain.

The Committee pointed out that the proceeds of corruption, which are circumvented by transferring, substituting or mixing with legitimate funds, remain subject to freezing, seizure and confiscation in accordance with the established legal procedures, while guaranteeing and preserving the rights of good faith third parties.

The Committee's methodology in dealing with these files

The Committee indicated that it does not consider these files from the perspective of fulfilling the legal formalities for the transfer of ownership alone, but rather from a more comprehensive and deeper angle that deals with verifying the true source of the funds, the identity of the ultimate beneficiary of the asset, the nature of the relationship between the parties to the disposition, the path of the proceeds resulting from it, and whether the disposition was used as a tool to conceal a suspicious asset, transfer its proceeds or change its legal image.

The Committee stressed that the issuance of a judicial ruling confirming the sale or transfer of ownership does not prevent the competent authorities from exercising their legal competencies in verifying the source of the funds, the truth of the beneficiary and the extent of the formality of the disposition, as long as these issues were not directly established in the judicial judgment issued.

The Committee explained that it makes a clear distinction between a buyer or a bona fide dealer who has paid a fair price from a legitimate source and has no connection with the persons or networks under investigation, and cases in which the existence of suspicious financial and legal indicators requires audit and verification, considering that good faith is an inherent principle in the work of the Committee to which it adheres, but it requires the dealer in turn to exercise due diligence and verify the integrity of the actions and the legitimacy of the sources of assets before concluding any transaction.

Checking the legal status of assets

The Committee called on citizens, investors and those wishing to acquire or invest in assets to verify the legal status of these assets and their sources of ownership before concluding any action, especially in cases related to persons or entities around which there are suspicions of graft or under investigation, in order to protect their rights and avoid falling victim to the concealment of assets or the smuggling of their proceeds.

It also called on anyone who has doubts about an asset or property offered for sale to contact it through its official channels on the www.igcc.gov.sy website before completing any purchase or investment, in order to preserve their interests and contribute to ensuring the stability of legitimate economic transactions.

Protecting public funds

The Committee stressed that its measures are not aimed at destabilizing the property or obstructing legitimate transactions, but rather at protecting public funds, restoring rights to their owners, and preventing the use of legal formalities as a cover to conceal assets, smuggle their proceeds, or prevent their recovery when they are proven to be linked to graft.

The Committee stressed that it will continue to perform its tasks in order to achieve a delicate balance between safeguarding the acquired rights of bona fide dealers and the right of the State and society to trace and recover the stolen assets wherever they are found and in whatever form they have been converted.

On May 25, the Anti-Graft Committee extended the deadline for the voluntary disclosure program for three months, starting from the end of the previous deadline set by the end of the fifth month of 2026.