Tuesday, February 7, 2006
And you can thank, in large measure, an EU donator base that has blocked accountability at all costs for allowing such a situation to flourish, and frankly, you can thank a change in government in the PA for now bringing the issue to a head.
UEFunding: Independent PA Corruption Investigation: "May Have Lost Billions"
Ahmed al-Meghami, the Palestinian Attorney-General, has uncovered a trail of corruption involving expenditures of the Palestinian Authority (PA). The total known value is $700m, with suspicion that the final figure will be measured in the billions...
...It is rumoured that the story was held up by President Abbas until after the elections, fearing that its content would cause even greater electoral damage to the outgoing Fatah party. Whatever the truth, it is known that numerous senior officials fled the Palestinian territories as soon as the election results were announced.
Amongst those cited is Sami Ramlawi, former director-general of the PA's Finance Ministry, who may have fled to Jordan. Unconfirmed reports on the Palestinian internet say that he fled with a suitcase containing $20 million. And Harbi Sarsour, head of the PA's Petroleum Authority, was arrested recently on suspicion of embezzlement and mismanagement. The Petroleum Authority was closely controlled by Chairman Arafat, whose private wealth at the time of his death was estimated in the billions...
