| Muhammad Bashar Kiwan | |
| Native Name: | محمد بشار كيوان |
| Native Name Lang: | ar |
| Other Names: | Bashar Kiwan, Bachar Kiwan |
| Birth Date: | 30 November 1966 |
| Birth Place: | Kuwait |
| Nationality: | Syrian |
| Citizenship: | Syria - France |
| Alma Mater: | University of Montpellier |
| Known For: | Criminal fraud, Comoros passport sales scandal, Assad regime propaganda, AWI Group, United Group (UG), Al Waseet |
| Criminal Penalty: | Total of 37 years in prison across multiple cases and jurisdictions |
| Criminal Status: | Fugitive |
| Spouse: | Angelique Kiwan |
| Children: | Jad Kiwan |
| Relatives: | Ashraf Kiwan (brother) |
Muhammad Bashar Kiwan (; born November 30, 1966), known as Bachar Kiwan, is a Syrian-French convicted felon, fraudster, and international fugitive. He is sought by the authorities in the Comoros Islands for his criminal convictions, which include money laundering, fraud, and embezzlement of public funds stemming from his role in masterminding the Comoros passport sales scandal. Additionally, he has been convicted in Kuwait of various white-collar crimes, including money laundering, criminal fraud, forgery, and bribery.[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
Formerly a businessman, Kiwan was also a propagandist for the Assad regime, owning and operating media companies in the Arab world that served as the propaganda arm of the Syrian government under Bashar al-Assad.[6] [7] [8] His former positions include chairman of the Syrian Business Council in Kuwait, Honorary Consul of Comoros in Kuwait, and member of the Syrian-Iranian Business Council.[9] [10] [11]
Muhammad Bashar Kiwan was born in 1966 to Syrian parents in Kuwait. He received a master's degree in economics from the University of Montpellier in France and speaks fluent Arabic, French and English.[12]
In 1992, he established Al-Waseet, a classified advertising newspaper in Kuwait, in partnership with local businessmen Sheikh Sabah Jaber Mubarak Al-Sabah and Mohammed Abdulaziz Al-Otaibi. Initially a weekly publication in Kuwait, Al-Waseet expanded its operations to Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Lebanon and Egypt. Additionally, it launched editions under the name Al Wasila in Saudi Arabia and Syria.[13] [14] [15]
He is a founding partner in United Group for Publishing Advertising and Marketing, also known as United Group (UG), with his business partner Majd Bahjat Suleiman (son of Syrian Major General Bahjat Suleiman).[16] [17] [18] [19] Regarded as the media arm of the Assad regime in various Arab countries, United Group (UG) publishes the government-aligned Baladna newspaper in Syria, and published the defunct Al-Balad newspaper in Lebanon, Kuwait, and the Comoros.[17] [20] Kiwan and Suleiman grew their partnership with the establishment of several affiliated businesses in the fields of banking, construction, tourism, advertising and publishing, taking on local business partners in various countries.[21] Their businesses include Al Waseet International, AWI Holding Limited, Comoro Gulf Holdings (CGH), Comoro Gulf Aviation,[22] Dagher and Kiwan General Trading, and Jad & Jana (France).[23] [24] [25] [26]
In the Comoros, United Group (UG) affiliate Comoro Gulf Holdings (CGH) worked closely with former Comorian president Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi, and "monopolized investment and development on the islands."[27] CGH's holdings included the Comoros United Company for Publishing and Distributing, which published the weekly newspaper Al-Waseet and a daily newspaper in Arabic and French, Al-Balad. CGH also established a local bank, the Banque Féderale De Commerce, in Comoros.[28]
Kiwan and Suleiman also established AWI Company, also known as AWI Group, an affiliate of United Group (UG) based in Dubai Media City.[29] AWI Company published a number of technical and advertising newspapers and magazines in 35 cities in 12 countries. The group publications included Layalina, Top Gear, Marie Claire, Fortune, and Concord Media for Road Advertisements.[30] The group planned for an IPO in 2012 but stopped due to Syrian civil war.
Kiwan was the mastermind behind an economic citizenship program that he launched with his close associate, former Comorian president Abdullah Sambi.[31] [32] In 2018, Kiwan, two former Comoros presidents, and several other associates were criminally charged in relation to embezzlement of millions of euros diverted from this program to Kiwan and his associates.[33]
Thousands of passports had been sold outside of official channels by 'mafia networks', of which hundreds were sold to Iranians, prompting fears amongst Western and Gulf allies that the passports were being used to skirt sanctions.[34] [35]
From 21 to 24 November 2022, Kiwan was tried for embezzlement and money laundering of Comorian public funds allegedly diverted from the economic citizenship program.[36] [37] On 28 November 2022, Bashar Kiwan was found guilty of criminal fraud, money laundering, and embezzlement of Comorian public funds. He was sentenced in to 10 years in jail.
Kiwan has reportedly been arrested and investigated in the UAE for fraud related to a telecom license he obtained in the Comoros. Unconfirmed reports suggest that Emirati tycoon Talal Al-Khoury invested US$34 million in the deal, but claims Kiwan defrauded him, embezzled the money for other uses, and sold the license to another operator.[38]
In 2023, Kuwait’s criminal court sentenced Bashar Kiwan to 10 years in jail for embezzlement and money laundering.[39]
The Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies identified Bashar Kiwan as part of a network of Syrians residing abroad who accomplished for the Assad regime functions of a dual nature, mainly in the financial and military sphere.[40]
Bashar Kiwan’s media partnership with Majd Suleiman, United Group for Publishing Advertising and Marketing, is regarded as the media and propaganda arm of the Assad regime in various Arab countries.
Bashar Kiwan was a member of the Syrian-Iranian Business Council (SIBC) and served as an intermediary for the Iranian regime to purchase real estate in Syria alongside his close business associate Mazen Al Tarazi.[41] In March 2019, Mazen Al Tarazi was arrested in Kuwait and charged with money laundering.[42]
Kiwan is married to French national Angelique Tournoud Kiwan, who he met on a ski trip in college. The couple has one son, Jad Kiwan. Angelique Tournoud co-founded fashion accessory brand LE MARAIS 101 with Zina Khair, the wife of Bashar Kiwan's business partner Majd Suleiman.[43] [44]