Assad Cousin Accused Of Favouring Family

But as Syrian pro-democracy protests grow, the 41-year-old maternal first cousin of President Bashar al-Assad is emerging as a different sort of symbol.

"Makhlouf, you thief!" dozens of protesters have chanted at recent demonstrations in the southern city of Deraa.

The son of the former commander of the Syrian Republican Guard, Mr Makhlouf controls as much as 60 per cent of the country's economy through a complex web of holding companies.

His business empire spans industries ranging from telecommunications, oil, gas and construction, to banking, airlines and retail. He even owns the country's only duty free business as well as several private schools.

This concentration of power, say bankers and economists, has made it almost impossible for outsiders to conduct business in Syria without his consent.

When the US Treasury levied sanctions against Mr Makhlouf in 2008, forbidding US citizens or entities from doing business with him, it dubbed him "a powerful Syrian businessman who amassed his commercial empire by exploiting his relationships with Syrian regime members", and went on to describe him as a regime insider who allegedly "benefits from and aids the public corruption" of officials.

Magda Sakr, chief executive of Syriatel, the country's mobile network operator and Mr Makhlouf's highest-profile business, said Mr Makhlouf was a law abiding citizen and the US Treasury had added Mr Makhlouf's name to the sanctions list purely for political reasons, to put pressure on Syria.