Palestinian President Yasser Arafat has ordered the formation of a committee to investigate how the head of the Palestinian National Council (PNC), Salim Zaanoun, disposed of properties belonging to Arafat’s Fateh movement, the Saudi Al Watan daily cited Palestinian sources as saying.
The committee will consist of members of the Central Committee of Fateh Movement, said the sources.
In connection with the case, the sources said that real estate in Kuwait, including a villa worth US$3 million, was sold very cheaply without prior consultation with either the Palestinian leadership or the concerned department of the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO).
One of Fateh leaders cited by the paper said that the majority of the PLO’s real estate in Kuwait consisted of Fateh offices, the Palestinian Embassy to Kuwait, and land used for either military training or investment purposes.
The source said that these properties were registered in the names of certain people, but with the knowledge and approval of the Palestinian leadership, as is the case in a number of Arab and African countries.
It is well known by all Palestinian officials that nobody can act in such cases without written approval from Arafat.
The family of Jaweed Al Ghusain, the former chief of the Palestinian National Fund who is presently imprisoned in Gaza on embezzlement charges, confirmed that one the Palestinians registered about 60 under-valued pieces of land in his own name, and in the name of his son in Jordan.
According to the paper, many Fateh leaders have called on Arafat to issue instructions for the investigation of all of these cases of alleged corruption, and to refer them to judicial authorities for a completely transparent ruling.
Many Arab and Western diplomats have bitterly criticized the PA for its financial and administrative operations. This spurred the PA to issue instructions two weeks ago prohibiting the conclusion of any contracts or deals without the written approval of four ministers.
