Tunisia issues arrest warrant against Yasser Arafat’s widow

Summary of story from The Telegraph, October 31, 2011

An international arrest warrant against the widow of the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat over alleged corruption has been issued by a Tunisian court.

Suha Arafat, who was stripped of her Tunisian citizenship in 2007 following a dispute with the country’s former ruling family, has vehemently denied any corruption allegations.

Tunisian justice ministry spokesman Kadhem Zine el Abidine said that a Tunis court had issued the warrant against 48-year-old Suha Arafat, who currently lives in Malta, but gave no reason for the move.

According to Tunisian papers, Arafat’s widow is wanted over alleged corruption dating back to the spring of 2007, when she founded the Carthage International School in Tunis with the country’s former first lady Leila Trabelsi.

Following a dispute the two women fell out, and according to a US diplomatic cable revealed by WikiLeaks, Suha Arafat met the then US ambassador after the dispute and lashed out at the ruling family.