P.A Plans To Investigate Corruption Tape Scandal

Friday February 12, 2010 10:37 by IMEMC & Agencies

Israeli Ynet news reported Thursday that Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, is planning to investigate a video tape showing the Palestinian Authority’s head of bureau trying to solicit sexual relations, the report includes corruption and financial scandals.

Fahmi Shabana - Still from Israeli TV Channel 10 report

Yet, the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank still believes that the whole issue was fabricated by Israel.

The scandal was first reported by the Israeli Jerusalem Post newspaper and then was reported by Israel’s Channel 10 TV, as the TV station broadcast the tape that was recorded in 2008, and an interview with Shabana.

The tape reportedly shows Rafiq Husseini, head of Abbas’ office, in an intimate situation with his secretary. It is believed that Husseini tried to entice a woman who asked to work at his office into being sexually active with him.

The Israeli report also showed Fahmi Shabaneh, an official at the Palestinian General Intelligence Service, accusing figures close to President Mahmoud Abbas and the late president, Yasser Arafat, of corruption that is estimated by millions of US Dollars.

In the tape, Al Husseini reportedly says that Arafat was corrupt, and that he was “the biggest liar, who did not love his people, and his people never loved him”.

According the report, he said that the sons of Mahmoud Abbas, Tareq and Yasser, are also corrupt doing their business on the expense of the Palestinians and their cause.

President Abbas is likely to call for an investigation into the issue upon his return from his visit to Japan.

The Ynet News said that some sources at the Palestinian Authority are stating that Shabaneh is enjoying Israel’s support.

Shabaneh told the Ynet that he wants to expose what he described as “huge corruption issues” and that he is trying to transfer documents he is in position off to an Arab state to verify their authenticity.

He added that the claims of obtaining Israel’s protection are false and that he was personally appointed by Abbas as the head of the security division of the General Intelligence, and was promised by Abbas to be appointed as the deputy governor of Jerusalem.

Mohmoud Al Habash, the Palestinian Minister of Religious Affairs, confirmed reports about forming a commission of inquiry, and added that Al Husseini agreed to the committee after the tape was released.

Al Husseini said that is a political issue fabricated by Israel as the country is trying to provoke the Palestinian Authority into returning to the negotiations table without freezing settlement activities.

Shabana, who was interviewed by Channel 10, was briefly arrested and interrogated by the Israeli police in Jerusalem.

Shabana added that he was approached by a Palestinian woman, who told him that a senior Palestinian Authority official tried to convince her to have a sexual encounter with him.

The issue was presented before the head of the Palestinian Intelligence who said that it would be difficult to present this issue to Abbas as he won’t believe the allegations. That’s when the idea of filming the official in an indecent situation came along.

After arranging the date, and after Al Husseini went to the bedroom of the woman, he took his clothes off and entered the bed of the woman who was cooperating with Shabana. At that moment Shabana entered the room instead of the women to find him waiting for the woman.

Al Husseini then started to apologize and said “thank God it was you who caught me, instead of the Israeli intelligence”.

Al Husseini then tried to bribe Shabana who rejected the bribe and said that he is not one of those officials who sell their concussions.

Shabana also said that Al Husseini is offering 3-5 thousand dollars as monthly salaries for his female secretaries, and questioned the motive behind such offers and why nobody asks him about such huge salaries.

He added that he was surprised by the Israeli police breaking into his home and then filing four charges against him.

“They wanted to intimidate me”, Shabana said, “They accused me of spying on Israel, threatening Rafiq Al Husseini, forming illegal organizations in Jerusalem, and being a member of the Palestinian security forces”.

Shabana stated that Israel did a favor to Al Husseini and to all corrupt officials, adding that should he have been allowed to remain in his post, he would have been able to send all corrupt officials to court.

He further stated that if president Abbas does not do the right thing, and does not apprehend those corrupt officials, then he (Shabana) will be very close to the grave.

“Israel did a favor to Rafeeq Husseini and corrupt officials, as should I have been able to remain in my post, I would have been able to send all those officials to justice”, he concluded.

He called on Abbas to remove all those corrupt officials from his office and from their senior posts.

ramallah | miscellaneous | news report