Most new Jordanian MPs face corruption charges

More than half of current Jordanian MPs, who are seen to be carrying out a wave of long-awaited reforms, are facing corruption and criminal charges, the Jordanian daily newspaper Al-Ghad revealed on Monday.

The Judiciary is awaiting Parliamentarian recess in order to resume calls for an investigation into members of the legislative authority of the Hashemite Kingdom. The Jordanian Constitution gives MPs parliamentarian immunity, but charges against them are not legally dropped.

The newspaper said that the data included in the documents it revealed shows that the MPs are accused of fraud and criminal charges. Their crimes included unintentional killings, exploiting their positions as civil servants and damaging third parties’ properties.

The newspaper expected that the disclosure of such data would result in a wave of criticism against the new Parliament which consists of 150 members. It was formed in the wake of what was seen as the most transparent electoral process ever. Only 20 MPs, the newspaper said, face no charges.

According to the documents the newspaper disclosed, the charges against the MPs also include defamation and scandals in relation to media and press laws.

Thirty of the MPs face charges of killing, stealing, graft, bribes, nepotism, issuing false cheques and misuse of credits and loans.

Another number are facing charges of tax evasion, violating industrial, commercial and labour general law and threatening of assassination.

The documents showed, according to the newspaper, that one MP alone faces 233 charges.

The Parliament has not approved or commented yet on this batch of dangerous data. The newspaper expected that it would come out with accusations against officials who helped leak this data to the media.