MODESTO (November 16, 2004) - Suha Arafat, the wife of the recently deceased PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat, announced in a press conference today in Modesto that she has hired Mr. Mark Geragos, the lead defense lawyer in the Scott Patterson case, to represent her in the litigation against the PLO. At stake were several hundreds millions Euros in numerous overseas accounts under her husband's name. Mrs. Suha Arafat claimed that she, as the surviving spouse, owned the money personally, fair and square,while the PLO insisted it belongs to the Palestinian people. She denied reports in the Parisian newspaper "Le Monde", that a settlement was reached yesterday between both parties. The alleged settlement, 20 millions Euros in lump sum and a monthly payment of 35,000 Euros, was "not remotely sufficient" to support her current simple lifestyle in the noble city of Neuilly, just outside Paris.
Mr. Mark Geragos, sitting next to Mrs. Arafat in the press conference, told reporters that with the Scott Patterson case "winding down", he has plenty of time and felt very honored to fight for the basic rights of a simple Palestinian widow versus the powerful Palestinian government machine.
