شكري القوتلي
In 1940 al-Shahbandar was assassinated and al-Haffar, along with three other leaders in the National Bloc, was tried before a French military tribunal. Al-Haffar escaped to Baghdad, and remained there until he was acquitted by the courts. During the presidency of Shukri al-Quwatli between 1943 and 1946, al-Haffar served as minister of interior in three different cabinets under Prime Ministers Saadallah al-Jabiri and Faris al-Khoury.