Syrian travel ban issued against Assad’s billionaire cousin

Rami Makhlouf, President Bashar Assad’s billionaire cousin has received a court ruling permanently banning his departure from Syria. The curt acted on a Ministry of Communications claim for sums of money from the country’s largest mobile phone company Syratel which he owns. Makhlouf has accused the Bashar regime of seeking to strip him of his mult-billion assets. Details in previous DEBKAfile report.