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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Hamas official seized with $800k |
| 2006-05-19 |
| Palestinian border police briefly detained a Hamas official accused of smuggling more than $800,000 (£427,000) into the Gaza Strip from Egypt. Dozens of Hamas gunmen rushed to the border, guarded by presidential troops, raising fears of fresh fighting. Latest reports say the money has been released and put under the control of the Hamas-run interior ministry. sure....after Fatah got their cut The Hamas-led Palestinian Authority faces a severe financial crisis because of an international aid embargo. Israel has also been withholding about $55m in tax collected monthly on behalf of the authority since Hamas came to power in January. The Hamas official, Sami Abu Zuhri, was apparently trying to smuggle the money under his clothes. Hamas says it is unable to transfer cash to Palestinian territory to fund government activities and pay salaries, as banks fear US sanctions for dealing with the militant group. Mr Abu Zuhri is a well known figure because of his frequent appearances in the Arabic media. "Sami Abu Zuhri did not declare the money. The Palestinian security and customs officials found it and confiscated it," the observer, Julio de la Guardia, said. LOLOLOL Travellers crossing through Rafah must declare all sums over $2,000 and explain the origin of the cash, Mr de la Guardia told reporters. Mr Zuhri was said to have been returning to the Gaza Strip from Qatar, which has previously pledged to donate $50m to the Palestinian Authority. Hamas has complained that US and European sanctions make it impossible for Qatar and other donors to transfer money to the Palestinian government because of the fears of financial institutions. |
| Posted by:Frank G |
| #8 Stealing hubcaps in 18 months. |
| Posted by: 6 2006-05-19 15:59 |
| #7 Update: Abbas Orders Inquiry Into Cash Smuggling GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - A senior Hamas official on Friday tried to sneak $817,000 into the Gaza Strip in a pouch under his shirt, the first major cash smuggling attempt by an increasingly desperate Hamas government choked by Western sanctions. Palestinian security forces confiscated the money at the Egypt-Gaza border, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas — Hamas' main political rival — ordered a criminal inquiry. Abbas' decision was bound to raise tensions already high after police loyal to Abbas and a new Hamas militia exchanged fire earlier Friday. Hamas demanded that the money — all in 500-euro bills — be returned, saying private donors abroad intended it for Gaza's poor. The alleged smuggler, Hamas spokesman Abu Zuhri, "resorted to this way ... when all other ways were blocked," said government official Ghazi Hamad. "This money is donated from abroad, it was meant for poor people," Hamad said. Abu Zuhri was returning from Qatar when he was caught with the cash in a white pouch under his shirt and jacket at the Rafah border crossing, said Julio De La Guardia, spokesman for European observers who monitor the crossing. Travelers must declare any sum over $2,000 and explain where the money came from, said De La Guardia, adding: "He did not declare that money, he tried to smuggle it." Dozens of Hamas gunmen briefly blocked the crossing after the money was confiscated. Another Hamas official escorted Abu Zuhri out. "We are upset to be dealt with this way at a time when the Palestinian people are suffering from siege and starvation," Abu Zuhri told the Arab satellite TV station Al-Jazeera. Abbas sent the money to the Palestinian attorney general, with the request to open an investigation, said Saeb Erekat, an Abbas adviser. Moussa Abu Marzouk, deputy head of Hamas' political bureau based in Damascus, Syria, said the money should be returned. "This money is part of the money supporting the Palestinian people which the (Palestinian) Authority cannot confiscate," he told The Associated Press. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2006-05-19 15:04 |
| #6 I'm sure that was his personal pocket money. He'll be ticked off that his fortune has been ripped off by the "government". |
| Posted by: Shuns Uleating3851 2006-05-19 13:46 |
| #5 Sarge, he probably started off with a round million. |
| Posted by: Grunter 2006-05-19 12:54 |
| #4 Is this the '$400k stolen from the hotel room' guy? Sam "the Bagman" Zuhri might need a few questions there.... |
| Posted by: Inspector Clueso 2006-05-19 12:41 |
| #3 I suspect that $800k is still chump change compared to what they need to run the govt. for a month. This would only pay for the very top tier of the govt. or the most volitile "security forces" for a month or so. |
| Posted by: bigjim-ky 2006-05-19 12:40 |
| #2 How much did that official "lose" in Kuwait? |
| Posted by: Cyber Sarge 2006-05-19 11:16 |
| #1 Dozens of Hamas gunmen rushed to the border, guarded by presidential troops, raising fears of fresh fighting. Fresh fighting, my ass. There's serious scratch up for grabs here. So, let's see. We got border cops, presidential troops, Hamas gunmen and customs officials. How much of that 800G's ya think is left "for the people"? |
| Posted by: tu3031 2006-05-19 10:53 |