From: Center for Security Policy
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Records indicated that Mossack Fonseca for years had made money by creating off shore companies that appealed to terrorist financiers and war criminals from the Middle East, drug cartel leaders from Mexico, Guatemala, and Eastern Europe; nuclear proliferation from Iran and North Korea; and arms dealers from South Africa.
It was reported that Bashar al-Asaad’s cousin Rami Mahklouf, who ran Drex Technologies along with six other oil producing companies in Syria. He was sanctioned by the US in 2008 for attempting to manipulate a judicial system and intelligence service into intimidating his business rivals. Rami was valued at $5 billion and supposedly controlled 60% of Syria’s wealth through gas and oil, construction, telecommunication, retail, and construction companies he owned. He is believed to be financing the pro-government forces during Syria’s civil war. Mossack Fonseca stopped doing business him when his reputation for bribery and political connections to al-Assad, along with his cigarette smuggling operations brought too much negative attention.
