Mohamad Makhlouf, maternal uncle of President Bashar al-Assad and father of businessman Rami Makhlouf, died Saturday of the Covid-19, two sources close to the family confirmed to AFP.
Considered one of the pillars of the regime of Hafez al-Assad, father of the current president, Mr. Makhlouf, 88, "
died of his contamination with Covid-19
", said the two sources.
In an announcement on Instagram, his grandson Mohamad Makhlouf, mourned his grandfather posting a photo with a comment: "
May God have your grandfather soul and make heaven your home
."
According to local media, Mr. Makhlouf entered Al-Assad University Hospital in Damascus on August 23, due to complications from Covid-19, and then died on Saturday due to his deteriorating state of health.
During the 1970s and 1980s, Mohamad Makhlouf, brother of Anissa Makhlouf, the mother of the current president, was one of the most prominent businessmen in Syria.
His role and influence grew after assuming several posts under the tenure of Hafez al-Assad and building a “
commercial empire
” later bequeathed to his son Rami Makhlouf, who also became one of the pillars of the Syrian regime before he be disowned this year by Bashar al-Assad.
Mohamad Makhlouf was in particular at the head of the Régie des tabacs and of a real estate bank.