Syria’s leader, President Ahmed al-Sharaa, has ordered loyal officials to surrender their luxury vehicles or face investigation in what appears to be his first major move to tackle corruption since overthrowing Bashar al-Assad last year.
The demand came during a closed-door meeting on August 30 in the northwestern province of Idlib, where Sharaa, once a militant commander, rebuked more than a hundred officials and business allies for arriving in high-end SUVs such as Cadillacs, Range Rovers, and Chevrolet Tahoes.
“I didn’t know the salaries the government pays were this high,” Sharaa reportedly joked before turning stern. “Have you forgotten you are the sons of the revolution? Have you been tempted so quickly?”
According to several people present at the meeting, Sharaa ordered civil servants with luxury cars to hand over their keys or face investigation for “illicit gains.” Some attendees complied as they left, witnesses told Reuters.
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The incident highlights Sharaa’s struggle to consolidate authority nearly a year after seizing power from Assad following 14 years of civil war. Despite initial optimism, his government has been rattled by sectarian clashes between rival ex-rebel groups, leaving more than 2,000 people dead in recent months.
“Sharaa lacks any institutional framework or textbooks to rely on,” said Hossam Jazmati, a Syrian researcher on Islamist movements. “He’s not a product of a state institution but of a faction. Power, for him, has always been built on alliances and favouritism.”
Jazmati warned that unchecked profiteering among loyalists could undermine Sharaa’s fragile legitimacy. “He needs substantial financial resources to sustain his administration, not necessarily for personal gain, but to maintain authority,” he said.
In a statement, Syria’s Ministry of Information described the gathering as a “friendly, informal meeting” between Sharaa, former commanders, and officials. It said the discussion focused on political and security challenges as well as reshaping the “investment culture established by the former regime.”
The ministry added that Sharaa “stressed zero tolerance for corruption” among state employees but denied claims that any keys were surrendered.
The president’s anti-corruption campaign has reportedly caused tension even within his own family. Two of Sharaa’s older brothers—Hazem and Maher—hold senior government posts. Hazem oversees domestic and foreign investment projects, while Maher, who holds Syrian-Russian citizenship, serves as secretary-general of the presidency and has accompanied Sharaa on foreign trips, including a recent visit to Moscow for talks with Vladimir Putin.
However, another brother, Jamal, has been caught up in the same crackdown. Six people familiar with the matter, including government and business sources, told Reuters that Sharaa ordered Jamal’s Damascus office to be sealed in August after allegations he had leveraged family ties for personal business deals.
Officials close to the president insist the purge is not personal but part of a broader attempt to rebuild public trust. “His revolution was built on the promise of ending nepotism,” one former rebel commander said. “Now, the same faces and same habits are returning under a new flag.”