The British Guardian newspaper published an investigative report in which it stated that Syria is witnessing the largest real estate theft in its history of the homes of Syrian refugees, pointing the finger at the security and military networks of the Syrian regime for forging real estate ownership contracts.
The newspaper explained in the investigation that it carried out in cooperation with the organization "The next day" Al-Madaniya, and the Syrian Unit for Investigative Journalism "Lamp" (SIRAJ). The counterfeiters are security officials, influential people, or those with security ties, officers, and military personnel, including members of the Fourth Division forces led by Maher al-Assad, the brother of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
According to the investigation reported by Al-Jazeera Net, the counterfeiters take advantage of the absence of the real owners of the real estate, and the long litigation periods in the event that these cases of forgery reach the courts, in addition to the complicity of lawyers, notaries, employees and owners of real estate offices with the expert forgery networks in this type of theft.
In a tweet via its official Twitter account, the Syrian Unit for Investigative Journalism (Siraj) addressed countries and governments that call for securing the return of Syrian refugees to their regions, villages and towns, noting that the process of seizing refugee homes constitutes a major obstacle to their return to their homes, citing its investigation, which deals with how Networks of counterfeiters work to extract the property of refugees.
At a time when Arab countries and governments are rushing to normalize relations with the Syrian regime under the pretext of securing the return of Syrian refugees to their regions, villages and towns, we reveal in this investigative report with the British Guardian:
How networks of counterfeiters work to extort the property of refugees. (1/14)
- SIRAJ (@SIRAJ_SYRIA) April 25, 2023
Although the Justice Palace in Damascus received more than 125 forgery cases of people who fell victim to forgery and filed lawsuits after discovering the forgery of the property of their homes, while they were abroad during the first half of 2022, Siraj Unit confirmed that there are many other cases that do not reach the judiciary. Either because the owners who are outside the country are ignorant of what is happening to their property, or because it is difficult to hire a lawyer to defend them due to financial or security obstacles.
The investigative report also mentioned statements by the head of the Bar Association branch in rural Damascus, Muhammad Osama Burhan, in August, about the arrest of a number of lawyers who forged agencies to sell real estate, in addition to forging legal agencies, especially for people residing outside Syria.
In this, Abdullah, one of the victims of forgery who sought refuge outside the country and whose house was burgled, says that his house was taken from him by one of his relatives associated with the Al-Ghaith Forces militia of the Fourth Division, when my relative filed a lawsuit in the Qatana Court in the countryside of Damascus, and attached a sale contract with it. Forged, claiming that I sold the house to him in 2013, and received its full price.
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