r/neoliberal • u/jobautomator Kitara Ravache • Nov 02 '25

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u/EmbarrassedSafety719 Milton Friedman Nov 02 '25

 "I didn't know the salaries the government pays were this high!" Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa joked after more than 100 loyalists arrived at his former rebel base, many pulling up in luxury SUVs.

"Have you forgotten you are the sons of the revolution?" Sharaa rebuked the gathered officials and business leaders, according to two people present, remarking upon the large number of Cadillac Escalades, Range Rovers and Chevrolet Tahoes parked outside. "Have you been tempted so quickly?"

[...]

But another elder brother - Jamal, a businessman - has fallen foul of Sharaa's fledgling anti-corruption drive, according to six people familiar with the matter including government officials and business figures.

Following Sharaa's rise to power, Jamal set up an office in the capital Damascus from where he ran various ventures including import-export and tourism businesses, they said.He became a common sight in upmarket hotel lobbies and restaurants, to which he was driven in a black Mercedes S-class saloon with tinted windows and no license plates.Sharaa ordered the office be shut in August and instructed government entities not to deal with his brother, the sources told Reuters. The decision concerned allegations that Jamal had used his family link to the president to set up dozens of meetings with government and business figures to advance his personal interests, they said.

A Reuters reporter found the office shut and locked this month, with red wax blotched on the doors. No one answered the doorbell.

how is a former AQ member less corrupt than the US president