SARG DIRECTOR OF THE POLITICAL SECURITY DEPARTMENT

S E C R E T DAMASCUS 000168 NOFORN SIPDIS DEPARTMENT NEA/ELA NSC FOR ABRAMS/SINGH/MCDERMOTT PARIS FOR WALLER LONDON FOR TSOU E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/02/2019 TAGS: PTER PREL ASEC SY SUBJECT: SARG DIRECTOR OF THE POLITICAL SECURITY DEPARTMENT SACKED Classified By: CDA Maura Connelly for reasons 1.5 b and d. ¶1. (S/NF) A European diplomat reported to us on March 2 that Major General Mohammad Mansurah, Director of the Political Security Department (PSD) and close associate of President Asad, was summarily fired in mid-January. This action is reportedly linked to the discovery of a smuggling ring being run out of this directorate. As many as 15 PSD officers were arrested in January after the Syrian Military Intelligence (SMI) uncovered evidence, during the course of an investigation that commenced in the fall, suggesting the PSD was heavily involved with cross border smuggling of weapons, persons and goods. While Mansurah was reportedly not among those arrested, it remains unclear whether his sacking stemmed from his direct involvement in the illicit activity or simply because the activity took place under his command, thereby losing the confidence of SARG leadership. Former Deputy of the General Intelligence Directorate Diab Seitun reportedly assumed charge of the PSD. ¶2. (S/NF) According to the diplomat, Mansurah headed the SMI office in the Hasakah region of Syria from 1982 to 2002. In this capacity he was reportedly responsible for contacts with Kurdish groups, supplying weapons to Kurds fighting Saddam Hussein in Iraq. In 2002 he became the head of the Palestine Branch of the SMI and then went on to become Deputy Director of PSD, where we was promoted to director in January 2005. ¶3. (S/NF) Thus far the Syrian government has made no mention of this incident publicly, nor has the story made the local press, unlike the recent high-profile arrest and firing of the SARG Director of Customs Brigadier General Hasan Makhlouf in mid-February. While local papers report Makhlouf was fired and arrested for accepting bribes in association with the illegal import of Chinese goods -- goods which were declared to have been transiting but were in fact sold on the market here -- local contacts indicate that his activity could have more nefarious links. An Arab diplomat reported Makhlouf would in effect "rent" out the border check-points; a prescribed amount of money (NFI) could buy blocks of time when the border inspectors would ignore the "renters'" vehicle traffic. The Arab diplomat said such a scheme means "anything" could have come into and out of Syria. Tishreen newspaper reported Makhlouf and 20 customs employees have been arrested and Al Kahbar reported the Ministry of Finance ordered the freezing of all Makhlouf's assets, and those of his extended family. It remains unclear if there is a connection between the PSD smuggling ring and that of the Customs Directorate. ¶4. (S/NF) Comment: The SARG may be in the midst of a long overdue house cleaning. They may be making some of the arrests public, as in the Makhlouf case, in an effort to demonstrate to the Syrian people and international community that the government is serious about tackling corruption -- even among Alawites. The public airing of the firing of yet another senior government official might be a leap too far for the SARG, but the fact the Mansurah story has made its way into a small Western diplomatic circle could signal SARG willingness to clamp down on illicit cross-border smuggling. Alternatively, these episodes could represent a classic power struggle between competing intelligence branches, with the SMI seeking favor among the ruling class by airing the dirty laundry of its brother organizations. CONNELLY