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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| PA ousts official who smuggled phones |
| 2008-03-23 |
| A top Palestinian Authority official who was caught last week while trying to smuggle some 3,000 cellular phones from Jordan has been suspended pending an investigation into the case. PA security sources said they did not rule out the possibility that Rouhi Fattouh was part of a bigger network of smugglers whose members include senior PA and Fatah officials carrying Israeli-issued VIP passes. Fattouh, former speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council and a senior adviser to PA President Mahmoud Abbas, was stopped by customs officers at the Allenby Bridge upon his return from Jordan. When the officers searched his car, they discovered the cellular phones. Fattouh denied any link to the cellular phones, holding his driver responsible. Fattouh and the driver were released after the officers confiscated the cellular phones, which are estimated to be worth more than $300,000. The driver was later arrested by the PA's General Intelligence Force in the West Bank. The driver's family denied that he was connected to the smuggling attempt. |
| Posted by:Fred |