Field Investigation Opens
Syria's Ministry of Energy has launched a field investigation into a gasoline fault traced to the system of the state-run Syrian Petroleum Company, after drivers reported mechanical breakdowns in private and public-sector vehicles. The ministry announced the step on 10 October 2026.
Deputy Minister for Oil Ghiyath Diab is leading the inspection together with technical specialists, acting on instructions from Energy Minister Mohammad al-Bashir. The work is being carried out in the field rather than through a desk review.
Scope of the Review
The examination covers every stage of the fuel chain: import, testing, receipt, storage, transport, and distribution. Investigators are seeking to identify where the defect entered the supply and to establish its technical causes before assigning blame.
Officials described the review as a direct response to citizen complaints and reports of engine failures, distinguishing it from routine periodic checks.
Accountability Measures
The ministry said responsibility would be fixed on the basis of the technical findings once they are complete. It warned that anyone found to be involved in manipulation, corruption, negligence, or dereliction of duty would be referred for legal procedures.
No individuals or companies have been named, and the ministry has not published preliminary results.
Oversight at the Pumps
Energy-services oversight teams in the governorates are following fuel from the moment a tanker arrives at a station through to the final sale at the pump. The monitoring is meant to confirm that dispensed quantities and specifications conform to approved standards.
The continuous checks place station operators under closer scrutiny than usual while the investigation proceeds.
Why It Matters
Gasoline quality bears directly on daily life, because faulty fuel can disable the vehicles that households and public services rely on. The ministry has not set a deadline for the review or estimated how many vehicles were affected.