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Millions of Dollars and Threads of Fraud: Charity Exploited for Fraud and Smuggling
The death of Ibrahim Harmoush, chairman of the licensed "Inji Charity" in Idlib, about three weeks ago inside his office in the city of Homs, has shifted from a criminal case under investigation — with hypotheses including possible suicide — into a large-scale financial fraud dossier estimated at around five million dollars.
Investigations reveal a network that exploited the cover of charitable work to purchase large quantities of sheep and foodstuffs using contracts and official receipts in the charity’s name, with a total value estimated at about $5 million. According to testimonies from lawyers and rights activists following the case, these goods were not used for the charity’s humanitarian activities as expected; part of them was diverted to illicit commercial channels and used for personal speculation.
Sellers had demanded payment of their dues before Harmoush’s death, which halted any immediate settlement of the debts arising from the transactions signed in the charity’s name. Preliminary investigations face many questions regarding the management of the charity’s funds and the disposition of the purchases, while relevant authorities continue their inquiries and affected parties seek legal recourse to recover their rights and uncover the case’s circumstances.
Source: Zaman al-Wasl
