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Source: http://bigstory.ap.org/urn:publicid:ap.org:5bf9cbc118224ead95502eb210a5ae37
Leaked Documents Raise Anger over Palestinian Corruption
(AP) Mohammed Daraghmeh - Documents leaked online detailing two attempts by Palestinian officials to misuse public funds have highlighted the corruption and mismanagement critics say remains rampant in the Palestinian government. One document, signed by Majdi al-Khaldi, a diplomatic adviser to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, asked Bahrain's foreign minister for $4 million to fund a private neighborhood complex for Palestinian officials in an upscale area of Ramallah in the West Bank. The other document by Nazmi Muhanna, general director of the Palestinian Crossing and Borders Authority, requested the government pay $15,000 for his daughter's schooling as well as medical treatment for his family in Jordan. Azmi Shoabi, the head of Aman, a branch of the corruption watchdog Transparency International, said various public departments have become "private kingdoms" for some officials.