In an unprecedented move, the Jordanian authorities have seized the assets of
former Fatah official Mohammed Dahlan, sources in Amman said
Tuesday.
Jordan’s Central Bank ordered the seizure of the fixed and
liquid assets of Dahlan, his brother and another person, the official Jordanian
daily
Al-Rai reported.
RELATED:Palestinian forces raid Dahlan's Ramallah home Palestinian security forces nab Mohammed Dahlan supporters The paper said the decision was taken in the
context of an ongoing corruption investigation against Dahlan.
A PA
official in Ramallah confirmed that the Jordanian move was taken at the request
of the PA leadership.
The official estimated Dahlan’s assets in Jordan at
10 million Jordanian dinars (NIS 53.5 million).
According to the
official, the PA has also asked the Jordanian authorities to seize the assets of
Mohammed Rashid, a former economic adviser to Yasser Arafat, who is also
suspected of financial corruption.
Dahlan, a former PA security commander
in the Gaza Strip, was expelled from Fatah last June over allegations of
financial corruption and murder.
Dahlan’s brother, Abed Rabbo,
said that the Jordanian decision to seize Dahlan’s assets was taken at the
request of the PA.
He said that PA President Mahmoud Abbas was behind the
decision “because of a political dispute with my brother.”
Abed Rabbo
said that he was paying the price for a dispute that he was not part of. “I’m
not a politician and I have nothing to do with politics at all,” he said. “I
have been working as a businessman in Saudi Arabia for 40 years. Abbas
wants to take revenge against anyone linked to my brother.”
Abed Rabbo
said that this was the second time that Abbas has seized his assets.
The
first time was in the Palestinian territories, he said.
Dahlan’s brother
said that after the first seizure he obtained a court order instructing Abbas to
release the seized assets, but the PA president has refused to
comply.
Abed Rabbo said his brother did not have any properties or bank
accounts in Jordan.