Collapse of Wassim Al-Qattan’s Building in Damascus Becomes Security Issue

The repercussions of the collapse last month of several balconies on a building in Damascus’ central Al-Malki district appear to still be unfolding as the matter shifts from merely an issue of unlicensed construction to a security concern. This shift is due to the sensitivity of the area in which the building is located, next to a security complex that houses the residences and offices of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, his family and his personal security team. 

Sources in the Damascus governorate told The Syria Report that the balconies on the Yassine Al-Tabbaa building overlooking Adnan Al-Malki Square collapsed on September 11. This partial collapse of the building was a result of unauthorised digging and excavation beneath it to expand the basements. The basements should have been reinforced, but were not, leading to the vertical collapse of two concrete columns that were sharing the load of the balconies.

The ground floor of the building is owned by Syrian businessman Wassim Al-Qattan, and the basement expansion was done for his benefit. Mr Qattan, a member of the Rural Damascus Chamber of Commerce, has been on the U.S. and European sanctions lists since 2020 for his role in supporting the Syrian regime. Due to his connections and influence, he obtained a renovation permit for the ground floor of the building, which he exploited illegally to bring in large quantities of construction materials, remove debris from the site, and carry out basement expansion works, converting them into residential apartments. 

According to the Building Violations Law No. 40 of 2012, any work in excess of that listed in the granted permit is considered a “building violation.” The expansion works were carried out without proper engineering planning and without obtaining a prior reinforcement permit.

Sources told The Syria Report that Mr Qattan left Syria immediately after the incident for fear of arrest, and he is trying to communicate with senior officers from the security services to resolve the issue. However, these officers consider the incident a security breach, not a licensing violation. Dozens of members of the Syrian president’s security team have been arrested. Prosecution of those responsible for the collapse continues, with arrests and investigations of employees and officials in the Damascus governorate, as well as engineers related to the matter. The security follow-up is being handled by the Arbaeen Police Department, which is, in turn, affiliated with the Political Security Branch in the Ministry of Interior, responsible for protecting the security complex.

According to The Syria Report‘s correspondent in Damascus, the deputy head of the executive office of the Damascus governorate and other senior officials have been released after the governor’s intervention. However, the detention of the director of service departments in the Damascus governorate is expected to be prolonged, with the executive office in the governorate assigning a replacement. The head of the Muhajireen municipality, where the building is located, continues to be detained. The Damascus governorate is divided into 16 areas, each with its own municipal status, including the Old City. Each municipality is managed by a mayor appointed by a decision of the governor.

The engineer supervising the renovation permits, as well as members of the Engineers’ Syndicate who approved the permit, and the so-called “area engineer” have also been detained. Notably, the area’s engineer remains in detention despite claims that he was prohibited from entering the project site and inspecting the engineering works as his job requires. Each mayor in Damascus is assisted by two engineers, one head of the service department and the other called the area engineer, both appointed by the governor. The engineers are rotated among the different municipalities, ensuring that no engineer remains in their position for more than three months. These engineers are employees of the Damascus governorate.

The Directorate of Planning and Urbanisation in the Damascus governorate is the body responsible for issuing restoration permits, officially known as Reinforcement and Partial Reconstruction Permits. This permit process undergoes extensive scrutiny; the document must be approved by the designated services department in the governorate, the Directorate of Planning and Urbanisation, the local police department, the Engineers’ Syndicate and the supervising and implementing engineer. Meanwhile, the area engineer and the services engineer in the municipal sector to which the property belongs supervise the restoration process. The local police department also visits the site to monitor the restoration process. It has the authority to immediately halt work and apprehend the violators if a permit violation is discovered. 

Usually, these procedures – prey to administrative corruption ≠ are not followed strictly, but due to the area’s security sensitivity, the procedures should have been taken seriously.

Therefore, it is clear that the cause of the security unrest is a permit violation in a highly security-sensitive area, despite all the imposed security and engineering scrutiny. Sources told The Syria Report that the restoration permit was granted to Wassim Al-Qattan without a reinforcement permit. Due to his influence, Mr Qattan was allowed to bring in excess construction materials, inconsistent with the scope of work specified in the restoration permit.

According to The Syria Report’s local correspondent, tracing the hierarchy of responsibility in issuing the restoration permit will inevitably lead to the Governor of Damascus himself. It may result in his dismissal or possibly his arrest, along with other senior officials in the governorate.

Members of the Damascus Governorate Council unanimously agreed to revoke the membership of Malak Hamsho, a member of the Services Sector in the Executive Office of the Governorate Council, in a session held in mid-October. Eighty-two out of the 100 council members submitted written requests to cancel Hamsho’s membership following the balcony collapse. The 82 members are from the ruling Baath Party bloc and a few independent members. Malak Hamsho is the Deputy Director of Services Departments in Damascus Governorate, well-versed in laws and administrative and engineering procedures, and is known for her strict application of the law. The reason for this unanimous decision to cancel Hamsho’s membership and her direct connection to the balcony collapse case remains unclear.

Meanwhile, the governorate and affiliated services departments are witnessing tension and fear among employees, apprehensive of arbitrary arrest and detention outside the legal framework. Employees involved in security-sensitive issues are often detained for long periods without being presented to the judiciary. The detainees’ families are forced to pay large amounts of money and substantial bribes to security officials to improve their loved ones’ detention conditions, while they need much larger sums to conclude the investigation and present the case to the judiciary.

On the other hand, malicious rumours are reportedly spreading among senior officials in the Damascus governorate as part of settling scores between them. Many employees are trying to resign, fearing these rumours, especially since their salaries are already paltry and do not cover transportation costs. However, the Damascus governorate is refusing the employees’ resignations and seems to have referred some of them for administrative and security investigation due to their insistence on resigning.