Cousin of Syria's Assad faces legal action over telecom debt

 Syria’s telecommunications authority on Sunday said a deline for a cellular company owned by cousin of President Bashar Ass to pay back its debts to state has ended, ding that legal measures will be taken against company to recover money.

anuncement came hours after Ass’s cousin, Rami Makhlouf, released a new video in which businessman said he was asked to step down from leership of Syriatel, biggest telecommunication company in country. Syriatel has 11 million subscribers, with 50% of revenues going to state.

new video by Makhlouf, third in less than a month, was ar hint of a rumored major rift in tight-knit Ass family, which has ruled Syria for nearly 50 years.

Makhlouf was once described as central to Syria’s ecomy and a partner to president. His videos, posted on a new Facebook p, seem to be a running public diary of a widening rift — and fall from grace of a once-powerful tycoon.

In latest video, Makhlouf, who is under American and European sanctions, vowed t to give up company and apologized to his arrested employees, whom he was unable to get released after y were detained in recent weeks. Makhlouf did t say who h called on him to step down.

Syrian Telecommunications Regulatory Authority said in a statement carried by state news ncy SANA that Syriatel h refused to pay fees to state, refore “Syriatel will be responsible for all legal repercussions” for refusing to give back dues.

In his first video in late April, Makhlouf pleed with Ass to help prevent company's collapse through excessive and “unjust” taxation.

That month, Makhlouf h been told to pay equivalent of $180 million purportedly owed to government by his telecom companies, according to Syria Report, which follows country’s ecomy. That claim appeared to be trigger for series of videos by Makhlouf over past month.

Makhlouf, who is four years younger than 54-year-old Ass, h declared that he was stepping aside from business to focus on charity work in 2011, at start of Syria’s conflict. But he remained associated with government. For opposition, he has been face of government hard-liners and decision to crack down on dissent.