...

Three Jordan parliamentarians resign over casino deal

Arab World Materials 30 June 2011 04:09 (UTC +04:00)
Three members of Jordan's house of parliament resigned Wednesday in a protest at the clearing of Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit of corruption charges in a deal over a casino, dpa reported.
Three Jordan parliamentarians resign over casino deal

Three members of Jordan's house of parliament resigned Wednesday in a protest at the clearing of Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit of corruption charges in a deal over a casino, dpa reported.

Bakhit survived impeachment by the parliament on Monday when the house voted to clear him from wrongdoings in the 2007 casino deal.

The resignation of Khalil Attiya, Wasfi Rawashdeh and Shayesh Khreisha coincided with a threat by 54 other deputies to boycott Thursday's session which is due to debate a report by an ad-hoc panel that implicated 17 ministers of Bakhit's first cabinet in 2007 over the issue, parliamentarians said.

Under the 2007 casino agreement, Bakhit's first government authorised a London-based investor to build a casino on the eastern shore of the Dead Sea.

The case sparked demonstrations across Jordan over the past weeks, with protesters urging the resignation of Bakhit's government for its failure to fight corruption and to carry out the political reform promised by the monarch.

Pro-democracy activists said they planned to step up protests on Friday to put additional pressure on the government to quit.

Latest

Latest