(Telegraph-UK) Kim Willsher - The spendthrift image of Mrs. Arafat was enhanced when French authorities launched an investigation into claims that $11.4 million had been transferred to two of her French bank accounts between July 2002 and 2003. The sums were on top of an allowance of $100,000 which Mr. Arafat sends his wife each month. She has lived in Paris full-time since 2000 and has been granted French citizenship. Last year, Mrs. Arafat bought a multi-million pound flat in the chic 16th arrondissement, and she owns another property in the wealthy suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine. She is often seen in the front rows of Paris fashion shows, or shopping with the wife of Saudi arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi. "She is obsessed by image. Everything about her screams money. She is immaculate, from her Chanel eyeshadow to her manicured fingernails," said a friend in Paris.
2004-11-02 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive