Income on the Side

March 20, 2008 - 5:30 PM by Stephanie

What’s a top aide to an official to do when he can’t scrape it together to pay the rent and feed the kids?

Get a part-time job in cross-border smuggling, that’s what.

According to press reports, top Palestinian Authority aide Rauhi Fattouh was caught red-handed smuggling 3,000 mobile phones from Jordan into Israel. The cellphones were in the trunk of his car.

Fatouh’s official status had afforded him a VIP Travel Pass granted by Israel’s Powers that Be easing up cross-border travel hassles and restrictions. During a routine border check of car and contents, however, customs officials found “the goods” and police were called in.

Fatouh, as any decent boss would do, blamed it on his driver.

“How did THESE get in here?” he may have said – we don’t know – but we’re using quotation marks anyhow. “Dammit, man! Didn’t we already go through this last month with the cigarettes?”

The driver shouldered all the blame – I can’t imagine there were any pressure tactics involved – and then Fattouh issued a statement to the press…

“My driver has acted in an immoral and irresponsible manner,” Fattouh told The Jerusalem Post. “He has exploited his position as driver of a senior official to smuggle the phones. He also used an official vehicle in violation of regulations.”

Well well… Times are tough everywhere, aren’t they?

Tks, Israel Matzav

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