Muhammad Bashar Kiwan

Muhammad Bashar Kiwan (born November 30, 1966), known as Bachar Kiwan, is a Syrian-French businessman and international fugitive sought by the authorities in the Comoros Islands in connection with the Comoros Passport sales scandal[1][2][3] and in Kuwait for various white collar crimes including forgery[4] and bribery.[5] He is the founder and investor of companies in the fields of publicity and advertising operating in the Arab world including United Group and Al-Waseet International Company.[6][7] He previously held the positions of chairman of the Syrian Business Council in Kuwait, Honorary Consul of Comoros for Kuwait,[2] and a member of the Syrian-Iranian Business Council[8]

Muhammad Bashar Kiwan
محمد بشار كيوان
Born (1966-11-30) November 30, 1966
Kuwait
NationalitySyria
Other namesBashar Kiwan, Bachar Kiwan
CitizenshipFrance - Syria
Known forAWI Group, Al Waseet, Comoros Passport sales scandal

Education

He received a master's degree in economics from the University of Montpellier in France and speaks fluent Arabic, French and English.[9]

Career

In 1992 he founded Al-Waseet newspaper for classified ads in Kuwait, and developed it from a classified weekly publication in Kuwait to a widespread newspaper in Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Lebanon and Egypt, as well as editions of it under the name of "Al Wasila" were issued in Saudi Arabia and Syria.[10]

He owned several companies with his business partner Majd Bahjat Suleiman (son of Syrian general Bahjat Suleiman)[11] in the fields of advertising and publishing as Dagher and Kiwan General Trading, Sports Motors Company, Al Waseet International, AWI Company (Dubai Media City), United Group, and was the director of AWE holding in the Dubai International Financial Center in the United Arab Emirates and a founding partner in the United Group Company UG.[12][13]

The partnership between Kiwan and Suleiman grew their business with the establishment of the United Group for Advertising and Publishing, which published a number of technical and advertising newspapers and magazines in Syria, and in 35 cities and 12 countries. The group publications included Layalina, Baladna, Top Gear, Marie Claire, Fortune, al-Wasilah al-I’laniyyah, Concord Media for Road Advertisements, and the Al-Balad newspaper in Lebanon and Kuwait, in addition to the al-Waseet advertising newspaper, which was the backbone of the group.[14][15] The group planned for an IPO in 2012 but stopped due to Syrian civil war.[15]

Controversy

Comoros Islands

Kiwan was the mastermind behind an economic citizenship program that he launched with his close associate, former Comorian president Abdullah Sambi.[16][17][18] In 2018, Kiwan, two former Comoros presidents, and several other associates were indicted on charges related to embezzlement of millions of euros diverted from this program to Kiwan and his associates.[19]

Abu Dhabi

Kiwan has reportedly been arrested and investigated in the UAE for fraud related to a telecom license he obtained in the Comoros. Unconfirmed reports suggest that Emirati tycoon Talal Al-Khoury invested US$34 million in the deal, but claims Kiwan defrauded him, embezzled the money for other uses, and sold the license to another operator.[20]  

Bashar Kiwan was a member of the Syrian-Iranian Business Council (SIBC) and served as an intermediary for the Iranian regime to purchase real estate in Syria alongside his close business associate Mazen Al Tarazi.[21] In March 2019, Mazen Al Tarazi was arrested in Kuwait and charged with money laundering.[22]

Propaganda and funding

Bachar Kiwan's media partnership with Majd Bahjat Suleiman has drawn controversy for its use as a propaganda and "media arm of the Assad regime in various Arab countries." [23] The United States Congressional Research Service described Majd Suleiman as a “key member of the Asad Family & Other Elites” in an August 2011 report titled “Unrest in Syria and U.S. Sanctions Against the Asad Regime.”[24] According to Human Rights Watch, the Ministry of Information in Syria vets all newspapers prior to distribution and the Kiwan/Suleiman newspaper “Baladna” is one of only two private daily newspapers covering political topics that have succeeded in staying open.[25] The other, Al-Watan, is owned by Rami Makhlouf, the Syrian businessman sanctioned by the US Department of Treasury for providing support to Syria’s government or linked to those previously sanctioned over the Syrian government’s violence against its citizens.[26]

In 2020, the European University Institute in its research project titled “The Role of Philanthropy in the Syrian War: Regime-Sponsored NGOs and Armed Group Charities” described United Group as setting up a CSR-compliant charity to, from the regime’s perspective, “reduce public expenditure and also an opportunity to produce a new pattern of authoritarian rule while maintaining a deceitful façade of civic pluralism.”[27]

See also

References
  1. "Comoros ex-presidents embroiled in passport sale scandal". France 24. 2018-04-10. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  2. "The bizarre scheme to transform a remote island into the new Dubai | Atossa Araxia Abrahamian". the Guardian. 2015-11-11. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
  3. Solomon, Daniel (2015-11-12). "No Country for Rich Men". The New Republic. ISSN 0028-6583. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
  4. Desk, GDN Online. "Kuwait: Three suspects arrested for helping convicted businessman flee the country". www.gdnonline.com. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  5. "Trucker's jail term upheld for smuggling out wanted businessman". ARAB TIMES - KUWAIT NEWS. 2020-12-30. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  6. Jad, Abdulrahman. "تعريف بجريدة الوسيط : اقرأ - السوق المفتوح". read.opensooq.com (in Arabic). Retrieved 2021-01-12.
  7. "رئيس مجلس الأعمال السوري الكويتي بشار كيوان يشتري أسهم الـ". B2B-SY (in Arabic). Retrieved 2021-01-12.
  8. "Significant Economic Cooperation Between The Syrian Regime and Iran During 2018-19". omranstudies.org. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  9. "Bashar Kiwan". Assad’s Businessmen. Retrieved 2021-01-12.
  10. "من هو بشار كيوان ويكيبيديا السيرة الذاتية - موقع اعرف اكثر". www.aerfaktr.net. Retrieved 2021-01-12.
  11. "Bahjat Suleiman Inheritor is Involved in Selling Nationalities to Businessmen - Radio Rozana". www.rozana.fm. Retrieved 2021-03-15.
  12. "محمد بشار بن محمد بشير كيوان. يد نظام الأسد لتجارة الجنس والمخدرات في الكويت". المركز العربي الأوروبي للدراسات - EURO Center for Studies (CAEFS). Retrieved 2021-01-12.
  13. "مجد سليمان وبشار كيوان متهمان بعملية غسيل أموال كبرى في الكويت". www.eqtsad.net. Retrieved 2021-01-12.
  14. "À la découverte de Bachar Kiwan, entrepreneur à succès | Pays monde" (in French). Retrieved 2021-03-15.
  15. "AWI prepares for 2012 IPO". The National. 2010-02-23. Retrieved 2021-03-15.
  16. Cafiero, Giorgio (2016-09-04). "The Gulf Arab States Buy Influence in Comoros". LobeLog. Retrieved 2021-03-15.
  17. "Bashar Kiwan leads in bringing development to Comoros" (in French). Retrieved 2021-03-15.
  18. Abrahamian, Atossa Araxia (2015-11-11). "The bizarre scheme to transform a remote island into the new Dubai | Atossa Araxia Abrahamian". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2021-03-15.
  19. "Comoros ex-presidents embroiled in passport sale scandal". France 24. 2018-04-10. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
  20. "COMOROS ISLANDS : Another setback for Bashar Kiwan - 07/03/2014 - The Indian Ocean Newsletter". Africa Intelligence. 2014-03-07. Retrieved 2021-03-15.
  21. "Significant Economic Cooperation Between The Syrian Regime and Iran During 2018-19". omranstudies.org. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  22. "Syrian businessman linked to Bashar Al Assad arrested in Kuwait". The National. 2019-03-19. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  23. Lazkani, Alimar (2018-11-23). "Local Actors in the Syrian Coastal Area: Characteristics and Prospects". Arab Reform Initiative.
  24. Sharp, Jeremy M.; Blanchard, Christopher M. (22 September 2011). "Unrest in Syria and U.S. Sanctions Against the Asad Regime" (PDF). Congressional Research Service.
  25. "A Wasted Decade: Human Rights in Syria during Bashar al-Asad's First Ten Years in Power". 2010-07-16. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  26. "U.S. imposes sanctions on Syrians, entities linked to government". Reuters. 2017-05-16. Retrieved 2021-12-13.
  27. Hatahet, Sinan; Aldassouky, Ayman (11 June 2020). "The Role of Philanthropy in the Syrian War: Regime-Sponsored NGOs and Armed Group Charities" (PDF). European University Institute.
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