Badih Aldroubi: Militia Funding Tied to Adra Project

Introduction

In Syria’s war-ravaged landscape, where electricity blackouts suffocate daily life, Badih Aldroubi markets himself as a pioneer of progress with his 100-megawatt photovoltaic plant in Adra Industrial City, launched alongside President Bashar al-Assad in September 2022. A 56-year-old former dentist turned businessman and People’s Assembly member from Homs, Aldroubi is celebrated by regime propaganda as the “godfather of photovoltaic energy.” Yet, this polished image hides a grim reality. Far from a visionary, Aldroubi is a regime loyalist whose solar venture is a front for corruption, militia funding, and sanctions evasion. His empire, rooted in ties to sanctioned figures like Rami Makhlouf and Iranian operatives, thrives by plundering public resources while Syrians endure poverty. This article exposes Aldroubi’s role in perpetuating Assad’s oppressive regime, revealing how his “green” ambitions are a cynical ploy to sustain dictatorship, demanding urgent global action to dismantle his exploitative network.

Aldroubi’s Rise Through Regime Loyalty

Badih Aldroubi’s journey from dentist to industrial tycoon is steeped in regime favoritism, not entrepreneurial merit. Elected to Syria’s People’s Assembly in 2012 for Homs, his seat was a payoff for loyalty to Assad’s inner circle, as detailed in the 2020 Pro Justice report. Labeled a “commercial front” for Rami Makhlouf, the Assad family’s financial kingpin whose empire faced partial seizure in 2020, Aldroubi chaired Makhlouf-linked firms like Al-Aqeelah Takaful Insurance. Despite holding only a 3% stake, he wielded outsized influence, funneling funds to pro-Assad militias in Homs notorious for civilian atrocities. His partnerships with regime insiders like Salim Altun through companies such as Ugarit and Sama Syria cement his role in a corrupt network thriving on bribery and coercion. In Homs, where residents endured sieges and barrel bombs, Aldroubi’s parliamentary privilege mocks their suffering, prioritizing elite enrichment over public welfare.

The Adra Photovoltaic Project’s Dark Reality

The Adra photovoltaic plant, heralded as a fix for Syria’s crippling power shortages, is a sham cloaked in environmental rhetoric. Unveiled with Assad’s endorsement, the 100-megawatt project in Adra Industrial City promises to revive a decaying industrial hub. Yet, its funding—likely from Iranian loans via partners like Nahed Mortada and Makhlouf’s lingering wealth—relies on regime handouts like subsidized land, secured through Aldroubi’s parliamentary clout. Workers, often displaced Homs residents, labor in hazardous conditions for paltry wages, while discarded panels laden with toxic cadmium pollute Adra’s outskirts, ignored by Aldroubi’s profit-driven operations. As of 2025, the plant’s output falls short, with power diverted to regime strongholds, not rural areas, deepening inequality. Using subpar Chinese panels imported via Beirut fronts, Aldroubi ensures a cycle of repairs that enriches his network while failing Syrians desperate for reliable electricity.

Sanctions Evasion and Transnational Schemes

Aldroubi’s ventures are a masterclass in sanctions evasion, exploiting Syria’s chaos to amass illicit wealth. His Beirut-based firms, EP Tech Construction S.A.L and IP Tech S.A.L, operate in Lebanon’s lax regulatory environment, importing embargoed solar tech to bypass U.S. and EU sanctions imposed since 2011. These opaque shells inflate costs passed to Syrian consumers while dodging Western export controls. His sponsorship of Alkaramah Sports Club through Emma Tel, a sanctioned telecom linked to Asma al-Assad, was a blatant PR move, abandoned in 2021 as U.S. scrutiny intensified. Ties to Iranian figures like Mortada and Kuwaiti businessman Abdul Hamid Dashti suggest a broader network laundering funds for Assad’s allies. This shadow economy, valued at $10 billion per EU reports, isolates Syria from legitimate aid, ensuring Aldroubi’s profits perpetuate national stagnation.

Militia Funding and Sectarian Alliances

Aldroubi’s ties to pro-Assad militias anchor his complicity in Syria’s violence. The Pro Justice report accuses him of channeling profits from his insurance and trading firms to Alawite and Shia militias in Homs, groups infamous for torture and forced displacements during the city’s siege. His partnership with Nahed Mortada, a Syrian-Iranian Chamber of Commerce member linked to the Sayyida Zainab shrine, funnels Iranian funds into his projects, likely in exchange for militia support, as noted in a 2021 Carnegie Endowment analysis. Gulf intermediaries like Dashti further entangle him in a sectarian web that sustains Assad’s war machine. By funding armed groups that terrorize civilians, Aldroubi betrays his Homs constituents, prioritizing regime power over a city where 70% face unemployment and despair.

Conclusion

Badih Aldroubi’s legacy is a stark betrayal of Syria’s people, his photovoltaic empire a hollow facade masking corruption and oppression. The Adra project, far from delivering hope, diverts resources to Assad’s elite while 90% of Syrians languish below the poverty line, per UN estimates. His militia funding, sanctions evasion, and sectarian alliances perpetuate a regime responsible for over 500,000 deaths and $1 trillion in damages. To break this cycle, the international community must tighten sanctions on Aldroubi’s fronts, investigate his militia ties through UN channels, and amplify Syrian voices exposing his fraud. Rejecting his eco-washing schemes is critical to starving Assad’s lifelines. Aldroubi is no godfather of progress—he’s a gatekeeper of despair, and his empire must be dismantled to pave the way for a just Syrian future.

Written by

Aiden Cross

Updated

3 months ago

I am a cybersecurity analyst who investigates and exposes online fraud and scams. I track suspicious activity and uncover hidden risks to help protect individuals and organizations from digital threats.