Mahmoud Al-Zoubi | |
|---|---|
محمود الزعبي | |
.jpg) Mahmoud Al-Zoubi in 1989. | |
| Prime Minister of Syria | |
| In office 1 November 1987 – 7 March 2000 | |
| President | Hafez al-Assad |
| Preceded by | Abdul Rauf al-Kasm |
| Succeeded by | Muhammad Mustafa Mero |
| Member of theRegional Command of theSyrian Regional Branch | |
| In office 7 January 1980 – 21 May 2000 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1935 (1935) |
| Died | 21 May 2000 (aged 64–65) |
| Resting place | Khirbat Ghazalah |
| Political party | Ba'ath Party |
| Other political affiliations | National Progressive Front |
Mahmoud Al-Zoubi (Arabic:محمود الزعبي,romanized: Maḥmūd az-Zuʿbī; 1935 – 21 May 2000) wasPrime Minister of Syria from 1 November 1987 to 7 March 2000.
Al-Zoubi was born into theAl-Zoubi clan which is aSunni family in 1935 inKhirbet Ghazaleh, a village 75 miles south ofDamascus in theHauran region.[1][2]
Al-Zoubi was a member of the Ba'ath Party.[3][4] Under the rule of then President Hafez Assad, Al-Zoubi was appointed prime minister in 1987.[5]
On 7 March 2000, Al-Zoubi was replaced as prime minister byMohammed Mustafa Mero.[6]
During 1985-2000, Al-Zoubi's administration failed to arrest the 90 per cent fall in the worth of the Syrian Pound from 3 to 47 to the US Dollar.
On 10 May 2000, Hafez Assad expelled Al-Zoubi from theBa'ath Party and decided that Al-Zoubi should be prosecuted over a scandal involving the French aircraft manufacturerAirbus.[1] Al-Zoubi's assets were frozen by the Syrian government.[6] Al-Zoubi and several senior ministers were officially accused of receiving illegal commissions of the order of US$124 million in relation to the purchase of sixAirbus 320-200 passenger jets forSyrian Arab Airlines in 1996. The indictment alleged that the normal cost of the planes was US$250 million, but the Government paid $374 million and Airbus sent on US$124 million to the senior ministers. Three others involved in the transaction, including the former minister for economic affairs and the former minister for transport were sentenced to prison for ten years.
The French company Airbus denied paying off the Syrian officials. The Syrian government in September 2003 announced its intention of purchasing six more Airbus planes for the government airline. The official finding within Syrian courts that Airbus paid over a hundred million dollars in bribes to their officials is apparently not a factor in deciding whether to continue to do business with them, especially with Boeing aircraft and spare parts being difficult to attain due to unilateral US sanctions.
Al-Zoubi was married and had three sons and a daughter.[1] His sons were Miflih, Hammam and Karim.[7]
Al-Zoubi died on 21 May 2000.[7][8] Conflicting reports say he died at age 62[1] or 65.[7] According to a statement from theInterior Ministry, carried by the officialSyrian Arab News Agency, Al-Zoubi shot himself in the head at his home inDumer outsideDamascus.[1] The statement said Al-Zoubi died by suicide after learning that the Damascus police chief had come to his house to serve a judicial notice to appear before an investigating judge to answer allegations of corruption and other violations "that caused great harm to the national economy."[1][7][9] An Interior Ministry spokesman said "a shot was heard upstairs and that was a shot fired by Zohbi [sic] at himself by his own pistol on the second floor of his house where his wife and children were present."[9] The spokesman said Al-Zoubi was rushed to the Mowasat hospital in Damascus, where he later died.[9] Hospital officials said none of his family accompanied him to the hospital.[1] In June 2000, according toLara Marlowe, there were persistent rumours that Al-Zoubi was actually murdered.[10]
Al-Zoubi was buried at his birthplace in southernSyria.[7] His funeral service took place inDeraa province on 22 May 2000.[9] There were no officials at the ceremony.[9] Sources said the funeral atKirbit Ghazali, about 100 km south of Damascus, was a simple ceremony limited to his close family members and some of his hometown people.[7]
| Arab Kingdom of Syria (1920) | .svg) |
|---|---|
| French mandate (1920–1930) | |
| First Syrian Republic (1930–1950) | |
| Second Syrian Republic (1950–1958) | |
| United Arab Republic (1958–1961) | |
| Second Syrian Republic (1961–1963) | .svg) |
| Ba'athist Syria (1963–2024) | |
| Transitional period (2024–2025) | |
* acting | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
%2c_Flag_of_Syria_(1980%25E2%2580%25932024).svg)
.svg)
