Economics
Luxury Builder for Assad's Regime Is Hit With U.S. Sanctions
- Businessman Samer Foz targeted by Treasury Dept. penalties
- Foz allegedly built on land taken from ordinary Syrians
The Syrian capital Damascus.
Photographer: Louai Beshara/AFP
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The Trump administration slapped sanctions on a Syrian businessman who it says has built luxury developments on land seized by the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, accusing him of profiting from the country’s eight-year civil war.
The Treasury Department said Tuesday that Samer Foz and several of his companies were being designated and cut off from the U.S. financial system for assisting and sponsoring the Assad regime. Among those sanctioned were the Four Seasons Damascus hotel, which the department said is owned or controlled by Foz.