Arafat's wife 'banks millions'
2004-02-11 16:28
Paris - French prosecutors have launched a money-laundering probe into suspected million-dollar transfers to accounts held by the wife of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, said judicial officials on Wednesday.
The Bank of France approached the Paris prosecutor's office
after discovering that nearly $1.27m (about R8.8m) were
allegedly being transferred each month from Switzerland to Suha
Arafat's accounts in Paris, where she lives, said the judicial
officials.
The prosecutor's office opened a preliminary money-laundering
investigation in October, said the officials, who did not want to be identified.
They said that Tracfin, an organisation that collates
information about money laundering, confirmed the Bank of France's suspicions about the alleged transfers.
Name not listed in phonebook
The probe was first reported by a weekly satirical newspaper, Le Canard Enchaine, published on Wednesdays.
Efforts to contact Mrs Arafat were unsuccessful. Her name is
not listed in the Paris telephone directory.
A lawyer who has represented Mrs Arafat in the past said he has not been approached by her about the probe.
The Palestinian authority's office in Paris said officials were not immediately available for comment.
- AP