Measures are expected against former Syrian army chief al-Shehabi

Well-informed sources in Damascus told the London-based al-Hayat daily that legal and " Baath Party" measure are expected to be taken against former Syrian army chief of staff Hikmat al-Shehabi in the coming few days with the campaign made to fight corruption.

The sources indicated the possibility of lifting " immunity " from one of Syria's parliamentarians who " has piled a big fortune through smuggling."

The sources explained that the retired Lt. Gen. Shehabi, who is also member at the Baath Party leadership did not take part in the four-member committee which supervised the preliminary elections to the 9th regional congress on June 17 and will not take part in the works of the ruling Baath party congress in the country.

Earlier, the Baath party leadership expelled from its membership former Prime Minister Mahmoud al-Zou'bi and sent him to the court under corruption cases.

The sources said " investigations revealed that al-Shehabi played a key role in covering deals made by al-Zou'bi and took part in other deals for his own interest and he also prevented the actual files from reaching President Hafez al-Assad in the recent years."

Shehabi retired in July 1998 because he had reached the age of retirement in the Syrian army. In 1974 al-Shehabi moved from his post as a chairman of the military intelligence to the army chief of staff in succession of Lt. Gen. Youssef Shakkour.

The sources explained that it is proven that al-Shehabi has violated the constitution of the Baath Party, measures will be taken against him by the Baath party and the government.

He had recently arrived back in Damascus after he spent several months in the USA with his son. Few days ago al-Shehabi went to Lebanon for medical checks with the intention to travel to the US again.

It has become evident that the Syrian minister of finance will reserve transferred and non-transferred assets to the official after he is summoned to the court. This happened with former prime minister al-Zou'bi, the former deputy premier for economic affairs Salim Yassin and the former minister of transport Salim Yassin.

The sources continued that " investigations continue and will target every one that is proved to have links to files of corruption." On Monday the Syrian minister of transport Makram Obeid released several decisions stated to "quit" six main transport directors from their posts. They are the directors of commodity transport offices in four Syrian provinces in Homs, Tartous, al-Hassaka and Aleppo and the two directors of the main department for organizing commodity transport in the provinces of Damascus and Damascus countryside.

Syrian official sources said that these decisions were taken on the care of the government to serve the public interests.

Well-informed sources at the ministry of transport said that " the quitted" directors were summoned to be presented before the court for their links to former transport minister Abdul karim who is arrested.