Going After Arafat's Monopoly on Money

U.S. accountants are helping the new Finance Minister gain control of Palestinian purse strings

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The investigators have noticed that a lot of Authority holdings were sold off in the past year, presumably to hide them from prying eyes. What's more, Arafat prevailed in having his man Rashid head the Palestine Investment Fund, which as of Jan. 1 is to be the single vehicle for the Authority's business holdings. Even if Rashid is eventually replaced, Arafat will not be completely without resources. Israeli lawmakers say that in a secret briefing, a top Israeli intelligence officer maintained that Arafat controls at least $1.3 billion worth of investments beyond the official hold-ings now being scrutinized. --With reporting by Jamil Hamad/Jerusalem

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