Former minister found guilty, sentenced 15-years jail

Special Desk

Former finance minister has been sentenced 15-years jail term by the state security court.

Bassem Awadallah, Jordan’s former Finance Minister and royal court chief, as well as royal family member Sharif Hassan Ben Zeid have been sentenced to 15 years in prison for inciting acts against the crown.

Bassem Awadallah, who has United States citizenship and once served as a top aide to King Abdullah II, and Sharif Hassan bin Zaid, were found guilty of sedition and incitement charges.

The court said it had confirmed evidence backing the charges against the pair and that they had been determined to harm the monarchy by pushing former heir to the throne Prince Hamzah as an alternative to the king.

Bin Zaid was sentenced to another year in prison and 1,000 dinars ($1,400) for drug abuse. The sentencing came after Awadallah and Ben Zeid were accused of inciting against King Abdullah II and seeking to create chaos in the country. The State Security Court added that Awadallah assumed key positions in the country, which gave him the chance to build a network involving both domestic and external factors.

The court announced prosecution against Awadallah and Zeid in June, charging them with harming safety and security of Jordan and destabilizing the country, Petra reported. Zeid was also charged with possession of narcotics, according to the state-run Petra news agency.

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The charges have exposed rifts within the ruling Hashemite family that has been a beacon of stability in a volatile region in recent years. Awadallah, who was a driving force behind Jordan’s liberal economic reforms, was charged with agitating to undermine the political system and committing acts that threaten public security and sowing sedition.

The pair are also alleged to have sought foreign assistance. They denied the charges, and Alaa al-Khasawneh, a lawyer for Sharif, said they would appeal the verdict.