Damascus, Aug. 6 (SANA)Syrian Finance MinisterMohammed Yisr Barniehhas suspended 34 employees from several finance directorates and theReal Estate Bankand referred them for investigation under legal procedures as part of theMinistry of Finance‘s efforts to combat corruption and strengthen integrity across its affiliated institutions.In a post on his Facebook account on Thursday, Barnieh said the decision covers 24 employees from finance directorates in the governorates of Damascus, Hama and Aleppo, as well as 10 employees from the Real Estate Bank.He affirmed that the ministry would continue efforts to combat corruption, hold those responsible to account, and strengthen institutional integrity and efficiency.Earlier on Thursday, theCentral Organisation for Financial Control(COFC) announced that it had uncovered a corruption case involving a 2021 contract at the Real Estate Bank to develop and modernize its banking system, with financial damages totaling $8.454 million and 11.313 million old Syrian pounds.According to COFC, the investigation revealed contractual, legal and financial violations, including failure to follow standard legal contracting procedures and obtaining exceptions from the Prime Minister’s Office at the time without approval from the bank’s board of directors. It also found shortcomings by the relevant committees in carrying out their responsibilities.The investigation further found that the contracted company had been exempted from delay penalties without legal justification, while payments were made in cash through a private money transfer company instead of bank transfers and without obtaining the required execution notices.The contractor, the Real Estate Bank’s director general, deputy director, legal affairs director, financial director, foreign relations director, and members of the relevant committees were referred to the competent judiciary on charges of violating contractual conditions. Their movable and immovable assets were seized to secure recovery of the funds.Last June, Barnieh issued a similar decision suspending 36 employees and referring them for investigation under legal procedures. Those cases involved 22 employees from the finance directorates in Damascus and Damascus Countryside, nine employees from the Real Estate Bank, and five employees from the Official Gazette.On July 30, COFC also uncovered manipulation and forgery involving real estate sales tax receipts at the Qatana Financial Directorate in Damascus Countryside during 2025, with a financial impact of around 2.5 billion old Syrian pounds.