The “Dead Sea casino” affair may have finally been put to rest with the clearing of charges against Jordan Prime Minister Marouf al-Bakhit.
Bakhit, who was appointed prime minister by King Abdullah in February, had occupied the position of prime minister in 2007 when he signed a development agreement with a London-based Palestinian investor.
The deal, which included two casino licenses, was canceled after one week. It was later renegotiated during Prime Minister Nader Dahabi’s time in office, annulling the agreement and sparing the treasury $1.4 billion in contractual penalties, according to Ammon News.
Bakhit has previously testified before parliament that he was unaware of the details of the agreement when he signed it, reports Al-Jazeera.
Last month, parliament voted to clear Bakhit and 13 other members of his 2005-2007 cabinet. Only former Tourism Minister Osama Dabbas has been indicted.
Jordan’s anti-corruption committee opened the investigation but eventually referred its findings to parliament, the only body authorized to investigate cabinet ministers. The matter has spurred calls for change.
“The anti-corruption authority needs to be independent from the government,” Azzam al-Huneidi, a member of parliament with the Islamic Action Front and the head of the party’s anti-corruption committee, told Al-Jazeera.
