Syria: two parliamentarians are tried on corruption charges

Following three years of suspension, the Syrian People's Assembly ( parliament) permitted to bring before the security economic court two of its "Baathist " members under charges relating to corruption and misuse of their post. The two parliamentarians will be triad but while being out of prison in contrary to what happened with the two other parliamentarians, already in custody, Riad Seif and Mamoun al-Homsi.

One of the two entitled parliamentarians Mustafa al-Ayed, former chairman of the general federation of peasants, while Muhammad Mayhoub was member in the executive bureau of the general federation of peasants in Syria, together with a third member of parliament ( also a member of the federation's executive bureau), whose identity was not disclosed. This case goes back to 1998 when investigations started in cases of stealing the public funds and misusing of the post in the general federation of peasants.

The Syrian security court, two years ago, asked the Syrian ministry of justice to lift immunity from the three members of parliament. However, the court concerned with corruption cases in Syria stated to " stop chasing al-Ayed and the two members of the executive bureau of the general federation of peasants Muhammad Mayhoub and Rafiq Darwish because they are members in the parliament." The court then asked to submit the case to the parliament to get the license to file the case.

Worthy mentioning that the general federation of peasants in Syria made a great change in its executive bureau during its general conference which was held in 2001 when al-Ayed who assumed his post in 1974 was replaced. Members of this federation exceeds one million peasants and some 100,000 women.