Jordan’s king denies impropriety in luxury home purchases
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Jordan’s King Abdullah I II said Monday that there was no impropriety involved in the purchase of luxurious homes overseas. Security reasons were used to keep quiet about the transactions, which are estimated at over $100 million. According to him, no public money was used.
The Royal Palace wasn’t pleased with the reports of purchases. Jordanian media that is controlled in large part by the palace didn’t mention the matter. Jordanian media outlets that are independent engage in self-censorship and refrain from criticizing the king, family or security forces.
International Consortium of Investigative Journalismists published the revelations Sunday. reported that hundreds of world leaders, powerful politicians, billionaires, celebrities, religious leaders and drug dealers have been hiding their investments in mansions, exclusive beachfront property, yachts and other assets for the past quarter-century.
According to the consortium the study was built on the review of more than 12 million files which were obtained from fourteen firms around the world. Because the report sheds light on previously unknown dealings by the elite and corrupt and shows how they used offshore accounts collectively to protect assets worth trillions of dollar, it is called the “Pandora Papers”.
According to the investigation, advisers were found helping Jordan’s King set up at minimum three dozen shell companies between 1995 and 2017. This allowed the monarch to purchase 14 homes in the U.S. worth over $106million. The other was a California-facing property valued at $23million that was purchased in 2017 via a British Virgin Islands company. They were identified as English lawyers and an accountant in Switzerland.
Abdullah said that the purchase was not suspicious and that security dictated that he keep details secret. Abdullah stated that the properties are often used in official functions, and no public money was used to purchase them.
The Royal Court stated that these properties were not made public due to security and privacy issues, but not because of secrecy, or an attempt, like some reports claimed. A head of state in His Majesty’s position must take measures to keep their privacy.
In the statement, the consortium’s report about his real-estate portfolio was described as a “flagrant Security Breach” and a danger to His Majesty and his families’ safety.
Jordan is an important ally for the West. It’s seen as a source of stability and moderation within a volatile region. Its economy suffered during Abdullah’s reign of two decades. This was made worse by the recent influx of coronavirus-infected refugees and hundreds of thousands from Syria. Over the years, Jordan received billions in international aid to stabilize its founding economy.
These latest facts are a humiliating blow for Abdullah’s government, which was embroiled in scandal when his half-brother, the former Crown Prince Hamzah accused the “ruling systems” of incompetence and corruption. According to the king, he claimed that he had been victim to a “malicious plan”, placed his half-brother under house arrest, and brought two of his close aides before a jury.
Hamzah, who has not been in the public eye since April’s scandal, remains in disarray under “protection” of the king.
Jordan’s relationship with international donor countries that have helped his government could be affected by this new report.
The announcement came as Abdullah hosted the President of the World Bank on Sunday, while he was in the Kingdom for an official visit. In response to the outbreak of coronavirus in Jordan, earlier this year the World Bank offered $1.1 billion worth loans and grants. Official figures show that unemployment rose to around 25% because of the crisis in health.
Amer Sabeileh is an independent Jordanian analyst who said that the report Sunday did not reflect the best of the king’s performance given the kingdom’s severe economic situation and the credibility and image problems facing the government following the Hamzah incident.
He said, “It arrives at a time when frustration is at its peak and the government suffers from a serious lack of credibility in all political systems.”
Labib Kamhawi said that it was too soon to make any predictions about the long-term effects on the King.
He said, “But the fact the government is trying to stop any information flowing into Jordan indicates that they take this matter seriously.”
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