Former Syrian prime minister commits suicide

A Syrian official source at the ministry of the Interior said on Sunday said in a statement to SANA that Damascus city chief police on Sunday morning headed, under the instructions of the economic investigation judge, to the house of the former prime minister Mahmoud al-Zou'bi.

The police chief was due to stand deliver al-Zou'bi a judicial note calling him to before the investigation judge who would interrogate him on cases of misuse of authority which resulted in a great damage to the national economy.

The moment the police chief asked his family to see al-Zou'bi he heard a fire shot. Later, it was found out that al-Zou'bi had shot himself by a gun of his own. He was immediately admitted to al-Mouwasat hospital in Damascus to receiving medical treatment, but he died there.

Medical sources in Damascus said al-Zou'bi " died of a fire shot in the head after he committed suicide in his house in Dummar ( in the outskirts of Damascus) and that his body is at al-Mouwasat hospital awaiting funeral ceremony today ( Monday) at his birthplace in Khurbet Ghazala village, in Daraa, Houran province."

Rumors stated that al-Zou'bi was admitted to hospital several days ago for a "failed suicide attempt" or because " he had a nervous breakdown" after the decision taken by the Party's national leadership on May 10 to expel him from the Baath Party " due to his practices which are in contradiction with the doctrines of the Baath Party.

Al-Zou'bi was admitted to the economic security court under the charges of corruption and then the minister of finance issued a decision states for " reservation of " transferred or non-transferred assets owned by the former prime minister, his wife and three children. He was also deprived from all privileges and state cars were withdrawn from him.

Al-Zou'bi ( 65) has been the prime minister in Syria for 13 years since 1987 until his resignation in March this year.