Ramallah: An exiled rival to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was sentenced in absentia to three years in prison yesterday on corruption charges, his lawyer said.
A lawyer for Mohammed Dahlan condemned the sentencing as part of Abbas's attempts to sideline political rivals.
Dahlan, 55, "was sentenced to three years in prison and ordered to pay back $16m", lawyer Salameh Halaseh said. Halaseh said the defence had only been informed of the hearing, held in an anti-corruption court in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, on Tuesday. Dahlan was expelled from Abbas's Fatah party in 2011 and now lives in exile in the United Arab Emirates.
Sevag Torossian, another lawyer for Dahlan, called the conviction a "cleansing exercise" for Abbas, who has sought to sideline perceived rivals in Fatah. Dahlan, who has urged 81-year-old Abbas to step down, is believed to have the support of a number of Arab countries. The conviction came two days after Abbas lifted the immunity of five members of the Palestinian parliament, including Dahlan, opening them up to prosecution.
The other four are alleged to be allied to Dahlan.
