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Jordan fires Basem Awadallah from Arab Bank administration

May 6, 2021 at 12:44 pm

The former chief of Jordan’s Royal Court, Bassem Awadallah on 20 June 2006 in the ancient city of Petra [JOSEPH BARRAK/AFP via Getty Images]

Jordanian Central Bank removed former Chief of Royal Court, Bassem Awadallah, from its administration, local media reported yesterday.

According to a decision issued by the bank’s administration, Awadallah, who was elected deputy chairman in 2016, was fired on 4 May.

Awadallah was the top aide of King Abdullah II and headed the royal court between October 2007 and November 2008.

He was detained last month over an attempt to destabilise the kingdom’s security.

US-educated Awadallah, a long-time confidant of the king who later became minister of finance, and Sharif Hassan Ben Zaid, a member of the royal family were detained along with other unnamed figures in early April.

Awadallah, who was a driving force behind economic reforms before he resigned as chief of the royal court in 2008, has long faced stiff resistance from an old guard and an entrenched bureaucracy that flourished for years on government perks.

READ: Saudi denies asking for release of ex-director of Jordan’s royal court