Arafat’s wife blames Sharon for laundering controversy
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Yasser Arafat’s wife today accused Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of being behind reports of a probe by French prosecutors into alleged transfers of millions of pounds to her Paris bank accounts. The preliminary probe, opened by the Paris prosecutor’s office in October, is looking into more than €8m allegedly transferred to Suha Arafat’s accounts at the Arab Bank and at French bank BNP between July 2002 and September 2003, French judicial officials have said. From her Paris home the Palestinian first lady told the London-based Al-Hayat newspaper that Sharon was spreading “the malevolent press leaks” to cover up a bribery scandal that could force him out of office. Sharon has denied wrongdoing, and has told investigators he did not know of a lucrative marketing contract his son Gilad signed with a property developer despite apparent lack of experience needed for the job, according to Israeli press reports. “The predicament that Sharon and his sons are in resulting from investigations into corruption charges is behind such fabricated press reports that are entirely baseless,” Arafat told the paper,. “Sharon is trying to fabricate similar scandals (involving) the Arafat family to cover up his scandals,” she added, according to Al-Hayat. More : breakingnews.iol.ie |