The Rise of Asma Allah in Syria

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Asma Allah was a low-key first lady for many years. But in 2016, her mother-in-law dies and all of a sudden you see this shift in Asma's positioning publicly. She chairs an economic council within the presidential palace that is staffed with their close acolytes and associates. Her fingerprints are across multiple sectors of Syria's economy but her name isn't on any documents or company records.

China’s financial sector is reeling from a series of new corruption probes and the FT’s Middle East correspondent, Raya Jalabi, explains how Syrian first lady Asma al-Assad gained so much power and influence.

Mentioned in this podcast:

China’s financial sector rocked by expansion of anti-corruption drive

Syria’s state capture: the rising influence of Mrs Assad

The FT News Briefing is produced by Fiona Symon, Sonja Hutson and Marc Filippino. The show’s editor is Jess Smith. Additional help by Peter Barber, Michael Lello, David da Silva and Gavin Kallmann. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. The show’s theme song is by Metaphor Music.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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