Searching for the "Ghost"... Times: What did Maher al-Assad leave behind? And where is he?

Maher al-Assad, the ousted president's brother and one of his closest aides, left behind palaces and a network of tunnels when he fled Syria. Where is he? And what does what he left behind say about him?

To answer this question, the British newspaper The Times began its report on the subject by reminding that the new rulers in Syria promised that only those with blood on their hands would be arrested or tried. However, this was not reassuring to many of the men close to the ousted president, Bashar al-Assad, as they quickly disappeared.

The Times noted in a report by its correspondents in Damascus, Oliver Marsden and Richard Spencer, that Maher, Bashar’s younger brother, tops the list of wanted men in Syria, as he was the actual military leader of the campaign to suppress protests in the early stages of the uprising. It noted that he is close to Iran and is believed to have continued to pressure Assad throughout the war to prevent him from giving in.

Maher was also among the most corrupt figures in the regime, diverting money from state coffers to family accounts, and later overseeing Syria’s most profitable industry, the drug trade, particularly amphetamine and Captagon.

“Maher is like a big scary ghost,” says Hassan Eid, 32, one of the Syrians who entered Maher al-Assad’s luxurious homes north of Damascus after the regime fell. “His name is like a horror story. He was like a big vampire, except he was also sucking dollars.”

Maher and his wife Manal had grown accustomed to a life of luxury even as Syria was mired in poverty due to war, corruption and sanctions, as evidenced by what they left behind, their palace and summer home on a mountaintop, where a strange collection of remains were also found.

Downstairs, a set of stairs hidden behind a locked metal door led from his garage to underground rooms and storage rooms, and there was a stair lift with silver buttons, a padded leather seat, and a red emergency stop button.

In the warehouses there were empty boxes of luxury brands, Longines, Rolex and Cartier watch boxes. There were broken bottles of vodka and empty pistol cases.

Ten miles away in the upscale suburb of Yafour, known for its horse stables and luxury homes, there was another elevator leading to other rooms under the residence of Maher's wife, Manal Al-Jadaan, and again, there was a tunnel heading down the mountainside and an escape hatch.

These homes, which were looted shortly after Maher and his family fled, have now become shrines for curious onlookers, one of whom says, commenting on what happened to the people: “If they had left in 2012 or even in 2015, they would have left with dignity… but this way… they have no dignity at all.”

There was a register in the doorman’s house in which Manal and her children recorded their entry and exit from the house. The last registration was on November 29, at 9 p.m., which indicates that the families of the leaders may have headed to Moscow when the extent of the crisis facing the country became clear.

France has already issued an arrest warrant for Maher, and a group of investigators is now making plans to prosecute him internationally. If Maher leaves the safe and limited embrace of Russia, he will likely face a choice between an international court or whatever justice system Syria’s new rulers create. He may prefer to stay where he is now.

Source: Times