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Damascus Summons Its Consul General in Istanbul Over Widespread Corruption Cases
Reliable Syrian sources have reported that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates issued a decision to recall several diplomats working in four Arab and foreign missions back to the central administration in Damascus. Among those recalled is the Syrian Consul General in Istanbul.
According to sources who preferred not to be named, the decision includes the Syrian embassies in Beirut, Riyadh, and Berlin, as well as the Consulate General in Istanbul and the Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York. The implementation of this decision is expected in the coming weeks. The ministry confirmed that this step is part of a plan to "restructure diplomatic missions abroad."
This decision follows escalating complaints from Syrians residing in Turkey regarding misconduct and bribery within the Syrian consulate in Istanbul, which is the largest of its kind due to the presence of the largest Syrian community there. A group of Syrian expatriate youth previously filed an official complaint with the ministry, accusing consulate employees of extorting applicants and deliberately delaying their transactions. They called for an equitable and transparent electronic booking system and the immediate dispatch of investigation committees to follow up on these violations.
The Syrian consulate in Istanbul has been notorious for years for its reputation related to bribery and broker fees, where brokers exploit the needs of applicants to sell appointments and facilitate transactions for large sums of money, amid the absence of effective oversight.
In a related context, two diplomats named in the leaked list of the recall decision confirmed the authenticity and details of the decision in exclusive statements to Syria TV. They explained that the transfers include their work locations and are carried out according to an administrative mechanism familiar within the ministry. They indicated that the implementation usually begins on the first of the month following the issuance of the decision, which will be October 1st. They added that the ministry’s custom is to keep these decisions secret until they are implemented, to maintain the safety and psychological stability of the recalled staff and to avoid potential security risks or emotional burdens if the information is leaked early.
