RAMALLAH, West Bank - The late Yasser Arafat’s powerful moneyman is the target of the highest-profile Palestinian corruption probe to date, facing allegations he siphoned off millions of dollars in public funds, the chief investigator said Wednesday.
Anticorruption campaigners lauded the case against the shadowy former aide, Mohammed Rashid, as a sign of the maturing of the Palestinian political system, although the probe also appeared to be tinged with political intrigue.
Rashid, who has in the past denied wrongdoing, made veiled threats on a website to disclose purported secrets about the rise to power of Arafat’s successor, President Mahmoud Abbas.
Gee, I wonder what he could be talking about.
Palestinian watchdogs, while praising growing government vigilance about corruption, expressed concern that such investigations are at times being used selectively to settle personal scores.
Rashid left the Palestinian territories after Arafat’s death in November 2004, and his current whereabouts were not immediately known. Rafik Natche, head of the Palestinian Anti-Corruption Commission, said Rashid holds business interests in Jordan, Egypt, Montenegro, Iraq, and the United Arab Emirates, and that the Palestinian Authority has asked all five countries to freeze his assets and extradite him.
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Also see: Palestinian Politics
Palestinian watchdogs, while praising growing government vigilance about corruption, expressed concern that such investigations are at times being used selectively to settle personal scores.
Rashid left the Palestinian territories after Arafat’s death in November 2004, and his current whereabouts were not immediately known. Rafik Natche, head of the Palestinian Anti-Corruption Commission, said Rashid holds business interests in Jordan, Egypt, Montenegro, Iraq, and the United Arab Emirates, and that the Palestinian Authority has asked all five countries to freeze his assets and extradite him.
--more--"
Also see: Palestinian Politics
