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Government Restructuring Raises Questions over Transparency and Oversight
Syrian authorities have redistributed a number of economic powers through a series of decrees, as the fuel crisis continues and management changes are made at government institutions.
The decisions included establishing a Ministry of Industry, Internal Trade and Consumer Protection, and appointing Maher Khalil al-Hassan as chief executive of the Syrian Petroleum Company, succeeding Youssef Qablawi, who faced criticism over the fuel crisis and complaints about the poor quality of gasoline.
Omar Samer al-Halabi was also appointed chairman of the board of the Syrian Sovereign Fund, amid questions about how the fund is managed and the level of transparency and oversight.
The authorities have not announced the reasons for restructuring the ministry. The changes come alongside an agreement with the World Bank to establish a multi-donor fund for reconstruction, though neither the amount of funding nor the names of the donors have been disclosed.
