**Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has sacked his chief of staff despite an official inquiry that was said to have cleared him of corruption charges.**Rafiq al-Husseini was accused of soliciting sex from a female job applicant after he was secretly filmed undressing in a hotel room.
Mr Abbas issued a statement saying Mr Husseini was being fired for tainting the office of the president.
Mr Husseini has said he is the victim of a smear campaign.
Hidden cameras
The statement from Mr Abbas’s office said Mr Husseini had been cleared of charges of nepotism and blackmail.
The secret film was made by a former Palestinian intelligence officer who said he wanted to expose what he called a culture of widespread corruption and abuse of power within the Palestinian Authority.
The former officer said he had set up the hidden cameras in the hotel room after being approached by the woman.
She claimed she was being asked for sex in exchange for securing a job with the Palestinian Authority.
In February an Israeli TV station showed the footage of Mr Husseini, and he was suspended by the Palestinian Authority.
Mr Husseini denies any wrongdoing, saying he was the victim of a plot by Israelis and Palestinian collaborators to discredit him and the Palestinian president.This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.