Jul 05, 2012
AMMAN -- Former General Intelligence Department (GID) Mohammed Dahabi, on trial for embezzlement, money laundering and exploitation of public office, on Thursday filed a lawsuit against a witness who testified against him.
The witness, Arafat Abzakh, became a suspect in the disappearance of some JD250,000 after he testified against his boss, said Mahmoud Kilani, a member of Dahabi's defence team.
Dahabi, who stands accused of multiple charges during his service as head of the GID between 2005 and 2008, filed a complaint against Abzakh, his former office director, after the defence team discovered that his testimony contradicted that of former interior minister Eid Fayez, Kilani said.
On June 19, Abzakh testified in court that the GID chief had ordered him to cash a cheque of JD250,000 from the Ministry of Interior, which was supposed to be allocated to cover the GID's expenses during the 2007 parliamentary polls, to Dahabi's own benefit.
During cross-examination the next week, he said he did not remember who signed the cheque or if one of the signatures on it belonged to Omar Mufti, head of the interior minister's office at the time.
Fayez, however, told prosecutors during pre-trial investigations that he had given Abzakh the JD250,000 in cash and that it later disappeared, according to Kilani.
Dahabi's defence team said their client denied any connection to this issue and had filed the lawsuit to uncover the truth behind these allegations.
The former intelligence chief has pled not guilty to all charges, including the disappearance of JD250,000 in public funds.
He has spent over four months in custody since his arrest in February.
Before Dahabi was detained, the prosecution issued a travel ban and his assets were frozen after the Anti-Money Laundering Unit in the Central Bank filed a motion against him.
The court so far has heard testimony from 15 witnesses, while 35 remain.
The trial will continue next week.
© Jordan Times 2012
