Syria: Tartous port's director, officials to be tried

The Syrian minister of transport has issued decision no. 871 of July 7, 2002, providing for placing the director of the director general of Tartous port company, and several officials and engineers at his directorate under the "disposal of the minister" until measures of trying them are completed.

Earlier, the minister of finance issued a decision for reserving the assets of the said director and others, and he asked the attorney general in Tartous to file a case against them according to a report by the central department for inspection and auditions.

The report by the auditing department showed negligence of the Tartous port company director and other said directors with the British "Stow-threat Indebt" organization which imported electrical cranes that arrived "not working" to the port and are still there. A matter which cost the Syrian treasury millions of Syrian pounds. The cost of the cranes deal reached 198.2 million Sterling pounds.