Jordan sentences king’s uncle to 9 years in prison

A Jordanian court has sentenced Walid Al-Kurdi, the husband of King Abdullah’s aunt, to nine years in prison and issued a fine of nine million dinars ($12.7 million), local media reported yesterday.

Al-Kurdi, the husband of Princess Basma Bint Talal, is a former president of the Phosphate Company. He has been living in London since 2013.

This ruling came less than a week after an earlier court decision that handed him a three-year prison term and a fine of seven million dinars ($9.9 million), for the misdemeanor of wasting money of public companies.

According to the government’s Al-Rai newspaper, it was found that Al-Kurdi, in his capacity as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Phosphate Company, had signed agreements with Manajem Machinery Maintenance Company against legal procedures.

In 2013, the 74-year-old was handed a 22.5-year jail term and fined over 253 million dinars ($356.8 million) after being found guilty of corruption.

Media reports stated that he fled the country a day before his scheduled testimony before the Jordan Anti-Corruption Commission.

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