LEBANON: HARIRI PROVIDES ANECDOTAL EVIDENCE ON

S E C R E T BEIRUT 000264 SIPDIS NOFORN SIPDIS NSC FOR ABRAMS/SINGH/YERGER, TREASURY FOR U/S LEVEY E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/18/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER PARM PHUM PINR SY IS LE SUBJECT: LEBANON: HARIRI PROVIDES ANECDOTAL EVIDENCE ON MAKLOUF, SHAWKAT FINANCIAL TRANSACTIONS REF: A. BEIRUT 215 ¶B. DAMASCUS 70 Classified By: Charge d'Affaires, a.i. Michele J. Sison for Reasons: Se ction 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (S/NF) In the course of a February 11 meeting with the Charge (Ref A),majority leader Saad Hariri and advisor Ghattas Khoury provided anecdotal information regarding alleged financial transactions of Rami Maklouf and Syrian Directory of Military Intelligence Asef Shawket. They alleged that Maklouf had assisted Syrian President Bashar Asad in moving funds out of Syria to Dubai. Most of the money was funneled through the Damascus airport he said. Maklouf also allegedly owns a hotel in Romania and other real estate in Dubai. Shawket reportedly facilitated the transfer of $50 million from Qatar in Free Patriotic Movement leader General Michel Aoun's OTV, in the names of Aoun's daughters. ¶2. (S/NF) As they have before, Hariri and Khoury urged that the USG designate Maklouf and Shawket as a means of punishing Syria for it's interference in Lebanon and because their activities promote corruption. SISON