The worlds oldest terrorist seems to have been playing faster and looser with the books then expected:

An audit of the Palestinian Authority revealed that President Yasser Arafat diverted $900 million in public funds to a special bank account he controlled, an International Monetary Fund official said yesterday.
Most of the cash, which came from revenues in the budget, went into some 69 commercial activities in Palestinian areas and abroad, said Karim Nashashibi, IMF resident representative in the West Bank and Gaza.

Hanan Ashwari, a Palestinian lawmaker and one-time Arafat spokeswoman, acknowledged there had been incidents of misuse of funds in the past but that the release of the information was an attempt to discredit the embattled Palestinian leader.

"There is nothing innocent about the timing," she said. "This is a campaign against the president and the [Palestinian] Authority."

The allegation came as Arafat told hundreds of supporters outside his Ramallah compound that the UN General Assembly resolution demanding that Israel retract threats to remove him "shows the international community ... stands by the Palestinian people."

Nashashibi said the information provided by the Palestinians was an example of the openness and transparency in finances under Palestinian Finance Minister Salam Fayad.

However, Nashashibi did not rule out the possibility that a portion of the funds were misused.

I hope the lefties who support this murderous thief think about what $900 million could do for the people in the west bank and Gaza. Maybe increase the standard of living or provide better health care services.