AMMAN (Reuters) – Syria’s leading tycoon, Rami Makhlouf, said he will appeal to President Bashar al-Assad to allow his mobile communications company, Syriatel, to reschedule payment of taxes owed to the government in order to avoid a possible collapse of the firm.
Makhlouf, who is chairman of Syriatel, is a maternal cousin of Assad and widely considered part of the president’s inner circle. He said the government’s demand of 130 billion Syrian pounds ($300 million) was “unjust” but that he would comply.
“We are not evading taxes or deceiving the state … because you are our people. Does anyone steal oneself?” he said in a rare video message on social media released late on Thursday.
Makhlouf and his family are believed to own at least 69% of Syriatel, which is one of the war-ravaged economy’s main sources of revenue. He said the company has 11 million subscribers and more than 6,500 shareholders.
Addressing Assad directly in the video, he said: “I hope your…
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