Syrian Ministry of Endowments denies new car purchases
The spokesperson for Syria’s Ministry of Endowments, Ahmad al-Hallaq, denied that the ministry had purchased any new cars or added them to its fleet as of the time he published his clarification late Tuesday, April 28.
Al-Hallaq said in a post on X that the ministry had not bought any cars to date, noting that a large number of employees use their own private vehicles, despite the ministry’s work extending to more than 90 directorates, departments, and divisions across various governorates.
He said vehicles would be secured when needed and according to available resources, within legal frameworks and the public budget.
He also noted that what had been circulated was an unapproved version that had not been endorsed, stressing that it had been halted about two weeks ago by a decision from the Minister of Endowments, Mohammad Abu al-Khair Shukri.
Al-Hallaq’s clarification came after a request circulated showing that the Ministry of Endowments had asked the General Authority for Supply and Provision to buy new cars at a cost of $1,850,500.
The request included the purchase of 44 cars, including a US-made GMC Tahoe four-wheel-drive vehicle for Minister Shukri, three Hyundai Palisade cars for his deputies, and 40 Kia Sorento cars for department directors.
The request bore Shukri’s signature and was dated March 26, a point the ministry spokesperson did not explain.
The ministry justified its request by what it described as the nature of the official work and duties assigned to department directors, and by the need to enable them to carry out their administrative and field responsibilities “in the best possible manner.”
After activists circulated it
Activists widely shared the request on social media after it was publishedby Zaman al-Wasl newspaper, sparking controversy over the type and high cost of the requested cars, especially after criticism had followed government officials over their frequent use of “luxury” vehicles.
Al-Hallaq said these campaigns are part of attempts to cast doubt on the ministry’s role, while the ministry continues to perform its religious duty and reform the religious sector, according to his wording.
By contrast, Muti al-Batin, a member of the Civil Peace Committee, said in a Facebook post on Tuesday that these cars would not be bought for the Ministry of Endowments.
He said the party that published the letter did not include another letter retracting the purchase request, which he said had been sent a week earlier, without citing a source for his information.
Such criticism has repeatedly targeted officials who use high-cost cars, with numbers of escort vehicles described as “excessive,” especially in a country where the poverty rate stands at about 90%, according to UN estimates.
The government has also complained of a shortage in the Central Bank’s coffers, saying it found the bank empty after the fall of the former Syrian regime, in addition to the country’s deteriorating economic situation.
Al-Sharaa orders keys handed over
Reuters published a report on October 31, 2025, saying Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa held a meeting at his former headquarters in Idlib governorate on August 30 of the same year, away from his presidential office in Damascus and in the presence of senior security officials.
Witnesses who attended the meeting, and others briefed on its details, told Reuters that al-Sharaa ordered civilian employees who owned luxury cars to hand over their keys immediately or face an investigation into “illicit gains.” Attendees added that some keys were already handed over by the end of the meeting.
Syria’s Ministry of Information described the meeting in a statement to Reuters as “friendly and informal,” saying it addressed “political and security challenges and the need to change the investment culture established by the former regime.” It said al-Sharaa emphasized his rejection of corruption in state institutions, but denied that any car keys had been handed over.
[Source: Enab Baladi English]
