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Muhammad Bashar Kiwan

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Muhammad Bashar Kiwan (Arabic: محمد بشار كيوان; born November 30, 1966), known as Bachar Kiwan, is a Syrian-French convicted felon, fraudster, and international fugitive. He is sought by the authorities in the Comoros Islands for his criminal convictions, which include money laundering, fraud, and embezzlement of public funds stemming from his role in masterminding the Comoros passport sales scandal. Additionally, he has been convicted in Kuwait of various white-collar crimes, including money laundering, criminal fraud, forgery, and bribery.[2][3][4][5][6]

Muhammad Bashar Kiwan
محمد بشار كيوان
Born (1966-11-30) November 30, 1966 (age 57)
Kuwait
NationalitySyrian
Other namesBashar Kiwan, Bachar Kiwan
CitizenshipSyria - France
Alma materUniversity of Montpellier
Known forCriminal fraud, Comoros passport sales scandal, Assad regime propaganda, AWI Group, United Group (UG), Al Waseet
Criminal charges
Criminal penaltyTotal of 37 years in prison across multiple cases and jurisdictions[1]
Criminal statusFugitive
SpouseAngelique Kiwan
ChildrenJad Kiwan
RelativesAshraf Kiwan (brother)

Formerly a businessman, Kiwan was also a propagandist for the Assad regime, owning and operating media companies in the Arab world that served as the propaganda arm of the Syrian government under Bashar al-Assad.[7][8][9][10] His former positions include chairman of the Syrian Business Council in Kuwait, Honorary Consul of Comoros in Kuwait, and member of the Syrian-Iranian Business Council.[3][11][12][1]

Early life and education

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Muhammad Bashar Kiwan was born in 1966 to Syrian parents in Kuwait.[13] He received a master's degree in economics from the University of Montpellier in France and speaks fluent Arabic, French and English.[3][14]

Career

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In 1992, he established Al-Waseet, a classified advertising newspaper in Kuwait, in partnership with local businessmen Sheikh Sabah Jaber Mubarak Al-Sabah and Mohammed Abdulaziz Al-Otaibi. Initially a weekly publication in Kuwait, Al-Waseet expanded its operations to Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Lebanon and Egypt. Additionally, it launched editions under the name Al Wasila in Saudi Arabia and Syria.[15][16][17]

He is a founding partner in United Group for Publishing Advertising and Marketing, also known as United Group (UG), with his business partner Majd Bahjat Suleiman (son of Syrian Major General Bahjat Suleiman).[18][9][19][20] Regarded as the media arm of the Assad regime in various Arab countries, United Group (UG) publishes the government-aligned Baladna newspaper in Syria, and published the defunct Al-Balad newspaper in Lebanon, Kuwait, and the Comoros.[9][21] Kiwan and Suleiman grew their partnership with the establishment of several affiliated businesses in the fields of banking, construction, tourism, advertising and publishing, taking on local business partners in various countries.[22][14] Their businesses include Al Waseet International, AWI Holding Limited, Comoro Gulf Holdings (CGH), Comoro Gulf Aviation,[23] Dagher and Kiwan General Trading, and Jad & Jana (France).[18][24][25][26][27]

In the Comoros, United Group (UG) affiliate Comoro Gulf Holdings (CGH) worked closely with former Comorian president Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi, and "monopolized investment and development on the islands."[28] CGH's holdings included the Comoros United Company for Publishing and Distributing, which published the weekly newspaper Al-Waseet and a daily newspaper in Arabic and French, Al-Balad.[28] CGH also established a local bank, the Banque Féderale De Commerce, in Comoros.[28][29]

Kiwan and Suleiman also established AWI Company, also known as AWI Group, an affiliate of United Group (UG) based in Dubai Media City.[30] AWI Company published a number of technical and advertising newspapers and magazines in 35 cities in 12 countries. The group publications included Layalina, Top Gear, Marie Claire, Fortune, and Concord Media for Road Advertisements.[30][31] The group planned for an IPO in 2012 but stopped due to Syrian civil war.[30]

Criminal activity

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Comoros Islands

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Further information: Comoros passport sales scandal

Kiwan was the mastermind behind an economic citizenship program that he launched with his close associate, former Comorian president Abdullah Sambi.[3][13][32] In 2018, Kiwan, two former Comoros presidents, and several other associates were criminally charged in relation to embezzlement of millions of euros diverted from this program to Kiwan and his associates.[33]

Thousands of passports had been sold outside of official channels by 'mafia networks', of which hundreds were sold to Iranians, prompting fears amongst Western and Gulf allies that the passports were being used to skirt sanctions.[34][35]

From 21 to 24 November 2022, Kiwan was tried for embezzlement and money laundering of Comorian public funds allegedly diverted from the economic citizenship program.[36][37] On 28 November 2022, Bashar Kiwan was found guilty of criminal fraud, money laundering, and embezzlement of Comorian public funds. He was sentenced in to 10 years in jail.[1]

Abu Dhabi

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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.[38]  

Kuwait

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In 2023, Kuwait’s criminal court sentenced Bashar Kiwan to 10 years in jail for embezzlement and money laundering.[39]

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Syria

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The Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies identified Bashar Kiwan as part of a network of Syrians residing abroad who accomplished for the Assad regime functions of a dual nature, mainly in the financial and military sphere.[40]

Bashar Kiwan’s media partnership with Majd Suleiman, United Group for Publishing Advertising and Marketing, is regarded as the media and propaganda arm of the Assad regime in various Arab countries.[9][10]

Iran

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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.[41] In March 2019, Mazen Al Tarazi was arrested in Kuwait and charged with money laundering.[42]

Personal life

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Kiwan is married to French national Angelique Tournoud Kiwan, who he met on a ski trip in college. The couple has one son, Jad Kiwan.[3] Angelique Tournoud co-founded fashion accessory brand LE MARAIS 101 with Zina Khair, the wife of Bashar Kiwan's business partner Majd Suleiman.[43][44]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Comoros Ex-president Sambi Jailed For Life For 'High Treason'". AFP News.
  2. ^ Solomon, Daniel (2015-11-12). "No Country for Rich Men". The New Republic. ISSN 0028-6583. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
  3. ^ a b c d e 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.
  4. ^ "Comoros ex-presidents embroiled in passport sale scandal". France 24. 2018-04-10. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  5. ^ Desk, GDN Online (5 December 2017). "Kuwait: Three suspects arrested for helping convicted businessman flee the country". www.gdnonline.com. Retrieved 2021-03-25. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  6. ^ "Trucker's jail term upheld for smuggling out wanted businessman". ARAB TIMES - KUWAIT NEWS. 2020-12-30. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  7. ^ Jad, Abdulrahman. "تعريف بجريدة الوسيط : اقرأ - السوق المفتوح". read.opensooq.com (in Arabic). Retrieved 2021-01-12.
  8. ^ "رئيس مجلس الأعمال السوري الكويتي بشار كيوان يشتري أسهم الـ". B2B-SY (in Arabic). Retrieved 2021-01-12.
  9. ^ a b c d Lazkani, Alimar (2018-11-23). "Local Actors in the Syrian Coastal Area: Characteristics and Prospects". Arab Reform Initiative.
  10. ^ a b Eddin, Chams (2013). The Assad Regime's Propaganda: Manipulation Through Messaging at the Beginning of tor Arab Spring Uprising in Syria (Thesis thesis). Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University.
  11. ^ "Significant Economic Cooperation Between The Syrian Regime and Iran During 2018-19". omranstudies.org. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  12. ^ "Passports to paradise". politico.eu. 8 November 2015.
  13. ^ a b Cafiero, Giorgio (2016-09-04). "The Gulf Arab States Buy Influence in Comoros". LobeLog. Retrieved 2021-03-15.
  14. ^ a b "Bashar Kiwan". Assad’s Businessmen. Retrieved 2021-01-12.
  15. ^ "من هو بشار كيوان ويكيبيديا السيرة الذاتية - موقع اعرف اكثر". www.aerfaktr.net. Retrieved 2021-01-12.
  16. ^ Staff, Executive (2007-04-01). "Al Waseet pushes into region". Executive Magazine. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  17. ^ Abrahamian, Atossa Araxia (2019-10-26). "Jho Low, Linked to 1MBD Heist, Banked in Comoros Bank Owned by Kuwait Sheikh". The Intercept. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  18. ^ a b Abrahamian, Atossa Araxia (2015). The cosmopolites : the coming of the global citizen. New York. p. 27. ISBN 978-0-9909763-6-3. OCLC 927317044.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  19. ^ Sharp, Jeremy M. (9 August 2011). "Unrest in Syria and U.S. Sanctions Against the Asad Regime" (PDF). Congressional Research Service: 4.
  20. ^ "This Critical Juncture: Elite Competition in a Receding Civil War". Project on Middle East Political Science. 2020-10-27. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
  21. ^ Daher, Joseph (2020). Syria After the Uprisings The Political Economy of State Resilience. La Vergne: Haymarket Books. ISBN 978-1-64259-416-4. OCLC 1265465288.
  22. ^ Mansour, Mohamed. "Interview: Mohamad Mansour – How Syria's Media Tycoons Control the Market". The Syrian Observer.
  23. ^ "Kiwan - M. Bachar | ICIJ Offshore Leaks Database". offshoreleaks.icij.org. Retrieved 2021-12-29.
  24. ^ "Jad & Jawa (Paris, 75008) : siret, TVA, adresse..." entreprises.lefigaro.fr. Retrieved 2022-07-31.
  25. ^ "AWI Holding Limited - 2119 - Dubai (UAE)". b2bhint.com. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
  26. ^ "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.
  27. ^ "Kiwan Buys Large Share of UG – Report". Syria Report. Retrieved 2022-02-11.
  28. ^ a b c Lori, Noora (2019). Offshore citizens : permanent temporary status in the Gulf. Cambridge. p. 220. ISBN 978-1-108-63256-0. OCLC 1119537788.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  29. ^ Walker, Iain (2019). Islands in a Cosmopolitan Sea : a history of the Comoros. Oxford: Oxford University Press, Incorporated. p. 199. ISBN 978-0-19-750756-8. OCLC 1117633752.
  30. ^ a b c "AWI prepares for 2012 IPO". The National. 2010-02-23. Retrieved 2021-03-15.
  31. ^ "À la découverte de Bachar Kiwan, entrepreneur à succès | Pays monde" (in French). Retrieved 2021-03-15.
  32. ^ "Bashar Kiwan leads in bringing development to Comoros" (in French). Retrieved 2021-03-15.
  33. ^ "Comoros ex-presidents embroiled in passport sale scandal". France 24. 2018-04-10. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
  34. ^ "Exclusive: Comoros passport scheme was unlawful, abused by 'mafia' networks - report". Reuters. 2018-03-23. Retrieved 2022-07-29.
  35. ^ "Comoros says abuse of passports-for-cash scheme worries Gulf allies". Reuters. 2018-01-20. Retrieved 2022-09-30.
  36. ^ "Comoros Ex-leader Refuses To Attend High Treason Trial". AFP News. November 22, 2022.
  37. ^ "Comores : l'ancien président Sambi jugé pour "haute trahison"". Le Figaro. November 21, 2022.
  38. ^ "COMOROS ISLANDS : Another setback for Bashar Kiwan - 07/03/2014 - The Indian Ocean Newsletter". Africa Intelligence. 2014-03-07. Retrieved 2021-03-15.
  39. ^ "Kuwait court sentences Jho Low to 10 years in jail". MalaysiaNow. 2023-03-30. Retrieved 2023-05-13.
  40. ^ Hadaad, Wajih (June 2022). "Replacing the Old Business Elite With the New War Profiteers In Syria" (PDF). Harmoon Center for Contemporary Studies.
  41. ^ "Significant Economic Cooperation Between The Syrian Regime and Iran During 2018-19". omranstudies.org. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  42. ^ "Syrian businessman linked to Bashar Al Assad arrested in Kuwait". The National. 2019-03-19. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  43. ^ "Syrian hardliner's family given visas for Canadian births: report". CBC News. 24 June 2005.
  44. ^ "OUR STORY". Le Marais 101 - Our Story. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
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