Ministry-Wide Penalties
Syria's Finance Minister Muhammad Yasr Barniyah on 23 May 2026 announced a sweeping package of disciplinary actions against 256 individuals accused of corruption inside and around the country's financial administration. The package combines employee suspensions, license revocations, and bans on private intermediaries from entering ministry premises.
Ninety-four employees from finance directorates were suspended pending investigation, and 25 former employees who had recently resigned were referred to the Illicit Gains Committee. A further 123 licensed transaction agents were barred from entering Finance Ministry buildings and prohibited from handling any financial paperwork, while 14 certified accountants face license revocation and disciplinary review.
Eight Governorates in Scope
The employee suspensions span eight governorates — Damascus, Rural Damascus, Aleppo, Homs, Hama, Latakia, Tartus and Daraa — covering the bulk of the finance directorates that handle tax assessments and public financial transactions across the country. The geographic spread signals an effort to apply the campaign uniformly rather than concentrating it on a single regional administration.
Minister's Pledge
Barniyah said the ministry was "determined, without hesitation, to eradicate corruption in all institutions" within its remit, and that further enforcement lists would follow. He urged taxpayers, traders and industrialists to submit accurate financial statements and genuine invoices, warning that modern technology would be used to evaluate shipments and set reference prices in cooperation with chambers of commerce and industry.
Banks, Tax, Insurance to Follow
The minister said the campaign would next reach the state-owned banks, the General Authority for Taxes and Fees, and the public insurance and pension institutions, all of which fall under the Finance Ministry's supervision. He also opened a public reporting channel on WhatsApp at 0990150150, framing the disclosures as part of a broader push to combine enforcement with digitization and incentive reforms.
Pairing Enforcement with Modernization
Barniyah said the disciplinary measures would be paired with service improvements, digitization of finance ministry processes and a new incentive framework. He framed the public reporting channel and the staggered release of enforcement lists as part of an effort to combine punishment of past abuses with a longer-term overhaul of how the ministry interacts with the public.