Muhammad Bashar Kiwan (; born November 30, 1966), known as ''Bachar Kiwan'', is a Syrian-French convicted felon,

fraudster In law, fraud is intentional deception to secure unfair or unlawful gain, or to deprive a victim of a legal right. Fraud can violate civil law (e.g., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrator to avoid the fraud or recover monetary compensa ...

and international fugitive. He is sought by the authorities in the Comoros Islands for criminal convictions relating to money laundering, fraud, and embezzlement in connection with the Comoros passport sales scandal and in Kuwait for criminal convictions relating to various white collar crimes including criminal fraud, forgery and bribery. He is a former businessman, having founded and invested in companies in the media and advertising industry operating in the

Arab world The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western A ...

, including Al-Waseet International Company. He previously held the positions of chairman of the Syrian Business Council in Kuwait,

Honorary Consul A consul is an official representative of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, as well as to facilitate trade and friendship between the people ...

Comoros The Comoros,, ' officially the Union of the Comoros,; ar, الاتحاد القمري ' is an independent country made up of three islands in southeastern Africa, located at the northern end of the Mozambique Channel in the Indian Ocean. It ...

for Kuwait, and was a member of the Syrian-Iranian Business Council.

Early life and education

Muhammad Bashar Kiwan was born in 1966 to Syrian parents and grew up in

Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...

. He received a master's degree in economics from the

University of Montpellier The University of Montpellier (french: Université de Montpellier) is a public university, public research university located in Montpellier, in south-east of France. Established in 1220, the University of Montpellier is one of the oldest univ ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and speaks fluent

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

, French and

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

Career

In 1992, he founded Al-Waseet, a

classified advertising Classified advertising is a form of advertising, particularly common in newspapers, online and other periodicals, which may be sold or distributed free of charge. Classified advertisements are much cheaper than larger display advertisements used ...

newspaper in Kuwait, with local business partners. Al-Waseet grew from a classified advertising weekly publication in Kuwait to having operations in Jordan,

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...

Bahrain Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...

Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...

Oman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

and

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

, as well as editions of it under the name of ''Al Wasila'' in

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...

and

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

. He is a founding partner in

United Group for Publishing Advertising and Marketing United Group for Publishing Advertising and Marketing (UG) ( ar, المجموعة المتحدة للنشر والدعاية والتسويق) also known as ''United Group (Syria)'' or ''United Group (UG)'', is the largest private sector media gr ...

, also known as United Group (UG), with his business partner

Majd Bahjat Suleiman Majd Bahjat Suleiman ( ar, مجد بهجت سليمان, born 28 October 1974), also known as ''Majd Suleiman'' or ''Majid Suleiman'', is a Dubai-based Syrian businessman and son of the former Syrian ambassador to Jordan and intelligence chief Ba ...

(son of Syrian Major General

Bahjat Suleiman Bahjat Suleiman ( ar, بهجت سليمان; 194925 February 2021), also known as Bahjat Sulayman, was a Syrian Ambassador to Jordan and head of the internal branch of the Syrian General Intelligence Directorate (GID), also known as Branch 251, ...

). Regarded as the media arm of the

Assad regime Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

in various Arab countries, United Group (UG) publishes the government-aligned ''

Baladna ''Baladna'' ( ar, بلدنا, lit=Our Country) is a privately owned, government-aligned Arabic daily newspaper published in Syria. The paper has also an English edition which was launched in December 2009 but later shut down. History and profil ...

'' newspaper in Syria, and published the defunct ''Al-Balad'' newspaper in Lebanon, Kuwait, and the Comoros. Kiwan and Suleiman grew their partnership with the establishment of several affiliated businesses in the fields of banking, construction, tourism, advertising and publishing, taking on local business partners in various countries. Their businesses include Al Waseet International, AWI Holding Limited, Comoro Gulf Holdings (CGH), Comoro Gulf Aviation, Dagher and Kiwan General Trading, and Jad & Jana (France). In the

, United Group (UG) affiliate Comoro Gulf Holdings (CGH) worked closely with former Comorian president

Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi Sayyid Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi ( ar, أحمد عبدالله محمد سامبي, born 5 June 1958) is a Comorian Islamic leader and politician, and former President of Comoros. He is popularly known as 'Ayatollah'. After easily winning the ...

, and "monopolized investment and development on the islands." CGH's holdings included the Comoros United Company for Publishing and Distributing, which published the weekly newspaper ''Al-Waseet'' and a daily newspaper in Arabic and French, ''Al-Balad''. CGH also established a local bank, the ''Banque Féderale De Commerce,'' in Comoros. Kiwan and Suleiman also established AWI Company, also known as AWI Group, an affiliate of United Group (UG) based in Dubai Media City. AWI Company published a number of technical and advertising newspapers and magazines in 35 cities in 12 countries. The group publications included ''Layalina'', ''Top Gear'', ''Marie'' ''Claire'', ''Fortune'', and ''Concord Media for Road Advertisements''. The group planned for an IPO in 2012 but stopped due to Syrian civil war.

Criminal activity

1MDB Money laundry

April 30th 2023, Kuwait’s criminal court has sentenced businessman Bashar Kiwan, to 10 years in jail over the embezzlement of funds from 1MDB – the country's biggest money laundering case so far. https://www.malaysianow.com/news/2023/03/30/kuwait-court-sentences-jho-low-to-10-years-in-jail

Comoros Islands

Kiwan was the mastermind behind an economic citizenship program that he launched with his close associate, former Comorian president Abdullah Sambi. In 2018, Kiwan, two former Comoros presidents, and several other associates were criminally charged in relation to embezzlement of millions of euros diverted from this program to Kiwan and his associates. Thousands of passports had been sold outside of official channels by 'mafia networks', of which hundreds were sold to Iranians, prompting fears amongst Western and Gulf allies that the passports were being used to skirt sanctions. From 21 to 24 November 2022, Kiwan was tried for embezzlement and money laundering of Comorian public funds allegedly diverted from the economic citizenship program. On 28 November 2022, Bashar Kiwan was found guilty of criminal fraud, money laundering, and embezzlement of Comorian public funds. He was sentenced in to 10 years in jail.

Abu Dhabi

Kiwan has reportedly been arrested and investigated in the

UAE The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...

for fraud related to a telecom license he obtained in the Comoros. Unconfirmed reports suggest that Emirati tycoon Talal Al-Khoury invested US$34 million in the deal, but claims Kiwan defrauded him, embezzled the money for other uses, and sold the license to another operator.

Iranian and Syrian regime links

Bashar Kiwan was a member of the Syrian-Iranian Business Council (SIBC) and served as an intermediary for the Iranian regime to purchase real estate in Syria alongside his close business associate Mazen Al Tarazi. In March 2019, Mazen Al Tarazi was arrested in Kuwait and charged with money laundering. The

Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies The Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies (can also be referred to by its acronyms as the ACRPS) is an Arab research institute with particular interest in the social sciences, applied social sciences, regional history and geostrategic affair ...

identified Bashar Kiwan as part of a network of Syrians residing abroad who accomplished for the

functions of a dual nature, mainly in the financial and military sphere.

Personal life

Kiwan is married to French national Angelique Tournoud Kiwan, who he met on a ski trip in college. The couple has one son, Jad Kiwan. Angelique Tournoud co-founded fashion accessory brand LE MARAIS 101 with Zina Khair, the wife of Bashar Kiwan's business partner Majd Suleiman.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kiwan, Muhammad Bashar Syrian chief executives Syrian businesspeople People named in the Panama Papers 1966 births Fugitives Fugitives wanted by Egypt Living people People named in the Paradise Papers Fugitives wanted by Kuwait Syrian money launderers Syrian criminals Syrian white-collar criminals