AMMAN -- Amman Prosecutor General Ashraf Habashneh on Monday ordered the detention of Sanaa Mehyar, member of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), and former deputy Amman mayor Amer Bashir for 14 days pending investigation.
The two are suspected of purchasing two garbage trucks for the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) by referring the tender to a hand-picked vendor, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.
Mehyar's lawyer Rateb Nawaiseh said his client was charged with exploiting public office, according to Article 175 of the Penal Code.
He noted that she was director of the Housing and Urban Development Corporation in her capacity as a member of the GAM council in late 2007, when the events in question took place.
A group of GAM council members was selected to be members in the bidding committee at the time, said Nawaiseh, adding that his client was appointed as a member of the committee.
The lawyer said he appealed to the Judicial Council to release Mehyar, adding that this was the first case in which a member of the ACC is referred to court.
Nawaiseh said the commission's law stipulates that detaining a member of the ACC is not allowed even after his or her immunity is revoked, stressing the need to obtain the Judicial Council's permission to proceed with detention.
Former deputy mayor Bashir was detained earlier this year as part of an ongoing investigation over alleged violations committed by top officials at GAM.
But the Amman Court of First Instance later released him on JD50,000 bail.
© Jordan Times 2012
