In 2016, when it was published in the press, the case looked like the fraud of the century. Mohammed Al-Halabi, director of the Gaza office of the American Christian NGO World Vision, reportedly confessed to the Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security service, that he embezzled 7.2 million dollars (6.8 million euros) each year. ) for six years, more than 40 million euros in all, for the benefit of Hamas, an organization classified as terrorist by Israel and the European Union, which has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007.
The NGO immediately ceases its operations, dismisses the 120 employees on site and orders an audit. Australia, which had contributed more than a quarter of World Vision’s budget in Gaza between 2014 and 2016, is reviewing everything. Quickly, it is established that no irregularity has been committed. Worse, the figures do not stick: over ten years, the NGO has a budget of 22.5 million dollars (21.3 million euros) in the enclave. From his cell, Mohammed Al-Halabi proclaims his innocence.
On June 15, the Gazan aid worker, now 45, was found guilty of 13 charges, including “financing of terrorism”, “membership of a terrorist organization” and “possession of weapons”. . Mohammed Al-Halabi spent six years behind bars before being tried: his preventive detention was renewed more than twenty times, and his file, classified secret, was the subject of 171 hearings.
Serious inconsistencies
When the Israeli verdict was announced, World Vision denounced “irregularities during the trial and a lack of substantial and publicly available evidence”. “We support Mohammed as he intends to appeal this decision,” the statement said. The European Union, whose representatives were present in court, pointed to conditions “which do not correspond to international standards for a fair trial”.
In their verdict, the judges do not comment on the exact amount of funds embezzled, citing “the possibility that the defendant inflated the sums in order to brag about his achievements”. And to add: “It is not necessary, in order to pronounce a conviction, to prove the exact amount that he transferred. » The three-judge panel did not respond to the “objective evidence” protests the lawyer of Mohammed Al-Halabi, Me Maher Hanna, and in particular on serious inconsistencies in the dates and charges raised by the defense.
“The extremely lengthy legal proceedings against Mohammed Al-Halabi bring together many typical aspects of the judicial system rigged against the Palestinians. Omar Shakir, Human Rights Watch director for Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories
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