The brother of Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas is being tried in absentia by Jordan’s State Security Court for the forgery of documents connected to a bank embezzlement scam. Ahmad Reda Shehadeh Abbas is one of six men being prosecuted in a larger $500 million bank fraud case.
The court named Abbas, now residing in Qatar, as a suspect alongside primary defendant Majd Shamayleh, who is accused of securing un-guaranteed bank loans and credits worth more than $100 million from four banks to finance a General Intelligence Department (GID) project, reported Jordan Times.
During the first session, the defendant’s lawyers requested the court to delay the trial until they had a chance to study case documents. As a result, proceeds are adjourned until Wednesday, July 30.
Last week, Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas visited the Jordanian capital Amman for talks with Jordan King Abdullah II to discuss the implementation of the Roadmap to peace and the truce announced by the Palestinian groups in June with Israel. — (menareport.com)
© 2003 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
