AMMAN -- A Lower House debate of controversial privatisations of state-owned companies turned heated on Wednesday when one deputy raised allegations that some of his colleagues may have been offered bribes.
Calling for investigative committees to look into the privatisation of the mining and telecommunication companies, MP Jamil Nimri (Irbid, 2nd District), said: "There is some gossip about promises of jobs made by the chief executive officer of the Jordan Phosphate Mines Company (JPMC) to some deputies, and if that is true, JPMC has to be referred to the prosecutor general on bribery charges."
Nimri's remarks caused tension under the Dome when some angry deputies from the southern regions retorted that they had only met with the JPMC chief to make inquires about allegations of corruption.
"This news is nothing but a rumour," Deputy Khaled Fanatseh (Maan, 1st District) said.
"Our meeting with the JPMC chief was not to ask for jobs as some claimed, but to find out the real story about the privatisation of the phosphate company," said Karak Deputy Mahmoud Neimat, who added that "consecutive governments should get all the blame for selling the country's assets, not the investors".
Jerash Deputy Basil Ayasrah described the privatisation agreements as "gambling", alleging that past governments did not conduct comprehensive feasibility studies before selling the mining and telecom companies.
MP Samih Momani (Ajloun, 1st District), added that several governments violated the conditions of the privatisation programme, which was adopted in 1995.
Under these conditions, Momani said, no strategic sector was to be privatised, privatisation revenues were not to be used to buy debts, and the government was to keep a controlling share of not less than 51 per cent in the privatised firms.
"All of these terms have been violated by successive governments," he said.
However, a majority of deputies voted in favour of a proposal to suspend the discussion of the privatisation of the mining and telecom companies until the government presents a response to their remarks.
Also Wednesday,
Also yesterday, the House tasked its Permanent Bureau with forming a five-member committee to investigate illegalities in a previous government's decision to allow convicted business tycoon Khalid Shahin to travel abroad for treatment.
In addition, the House formed an investigative committee into the issue of reimbursing victims of brokerage firms involved in large-scale fraud cases in 2008.
A total 256 brokerage houses were referred to theState Security Courtbetween September 7, 2008 and January 1, 2009, and more than 400,000 complaints were filed against these firms by 117,000 citizens from all walks of life who were affected by the scams.
© Jordan Times 2011
