DALLAS – Foreign bank accounts controlled by the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF) were never reported to the Internal Revenue Service or even to the charity's own auditors, a former bookkeeper for the charity admitted Wednesday.
Mohammad Wafa Yaish worked as a tax and accounting consultant for HLF from 1997-2001. He was called as a defense witness to give an overview of the different projects run by HLF and to discuss financial records.
Five former HLF officials are accused of illegally funneling millions of dollars to Hamas through a series of Palestinian charities called zakat committees. If HLF was raising money for Hamas, he didn't know about it, Yaish said.
During the prosecution's case, bank and tax records entered into evidence showed hundreds of thousands of dollars were unaccounted for. Other evidence and witness testimony showed the committees receiving money were run by people openly affiliated with Hamas.
Defense attorneys say HLF money went to genuine needs, such as schools, hospitals and to provide stipends for needy Palestinians. Read more ...
Mohammad Wafa Yaish worked as a tax and accounting consultant for HLF from 1997-2001. He was called as a defense witness to give an overview of the different projects run by HLF and to discuss financial records.
Five former HLF officials are accused of illegally funneling millions of dollars to Hamas through a series of Palestinian charities called zakat committees. If HLF was raising money for Hamas, he didn't know about it, Yaish said.
During the prosecution's case, bank and tax records entered into evidence showed hundreds of thousands of dollars were unaccounted for. Other evidence and witness testimony showed the committees receiving money were run by people openly affiliated with Hamas.
Defense attorneys say HLF money went to genuine needs, such as schools, hospitals and to provide stipends for needy Palestinians. Read more ...
Source: IPT News
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