Jordan on Tuesday touted the extradition and arrest of a businessman wanted for tax evasion and corruption as a sign that its anti-corruption crusade will continue in a bid to win over a skeptical public and growing discontent over the economy and alleged mismanagement of public funds.
On Tuesday, Jordanian Prime Minister Omar Razzaz highlighted the extradition from Turkey to Jordan of Awni Mutee, a businessman at the center of a $200 million fake brand cigarette fraud, on late Monday evening as a sign of how the government’s “war on corruption is a principle, not just a slogan”.
“There is no protection for the corrupt and the government will not back down in its fight against corruption,” Mr Razzaz told MPs during a meeting in parliament on Tuesday.
Later in a meeting with the heads of Jordan’s public security department, Mr Razzaz declared that “the government will not stop at the Mutee case, we will go after anyone who dares to tamper with or target public funds, and any case that harms public interest.”
For months, the government has repeatedly referred to its pursuit of Mutee, who fled Jordan to Lebanon in July, as its commitment to clean up graft. The businessman is at the centre of an alleged manufacturing and importing fake brand cigarettes ring that cost the government an estimated $200 million in lost fees and taxes.
Jordan’s anti-corruption drive has support from the very top in the kingdom. In August, King Abdullah announced to the cabinet that “we want to break the back of corruption in the country; it’s enough.”
The Jordan news agency Petra reported that the extradition operation and arrest had indeed come at the behest of royal directives. Mutee’s extradition from Turkey to Jordan came hours after a phone call between King Abdullah and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The highly publicised case and arrest of Mutee comes at a time that the Razzaz government is trying to rebuild public trust and quell growing discontent and protests over the country’s economy.
Unemployment in Jordan has reached 18.6 per cent, estimated over 30 per cent unemployment for Jordanians between the ages of 15 and 30.
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Jordanian protesters don yellow vests as demonstrations spread
Young people take to Amman's streets against new tax law and corruption
Few easy options for Jordan’s new prime minister
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The Jordanian government has pushed through unpopular economic measures over the past two years, such as lifting bread subsidies, taxing fuel and lowering the threshold for taxable income to JD18,000 per household per year (Dh93,000) in a bid to curb debt levels that hover at 95 per cent of GDP to meet requirements of a $723 million conditional IMF credit line.
With government austerity measures, rising prices and the pushing through of an unpopular income tax law, the issue of corruption has reemerged as a hot topic and a main demand for citizens, and has driven a renewed protest movement that sparked violent clashes with security forces last Thursday.
But the issue of corruption goes beyond protests.
In the latest public opinion poll by the Centre for Strategic Studies at the University of Jordan released on December 2, more than one-fifth of citizens, 21 per cent, cited the “presence of corruption” as the reason they believed the country was on the wrong track, the second most common response behind rising prices (29 per cent of respondents).
Observers say the government can regain public confidence not only through the arrest, but a transparent prosecution of Mutee.
“As the Mutee case goes through the court system, it is important for the government to show that the state is credible and investigate whether others are involved in this case – as many in the public suspect,” says Musa Shteiwi, director of the Center for Strategic Studies at the University of Jordan.
Citizens say they have a long list of officials and families they claim have abused public funds and siphoned off resources.
“Mutee is just a front man, we want to see serious efforts that go after the big names we know of to show that Jordan truly is a country of laws,” says Mohammed, a protester from a southern Jordanian town who did not wish to use his full name for fear of arrest.
Mohammed and other activists on Tuesday said that despite Mutee’s arrest, they are set to continue their protests over the economy and corruption at the Prime Ministry this Thursday.
“Once we see big heads roll, then we can trust this government,” he said.
Opposition politicians have echoed calls for greater accountability.
“We have grabbed one Mutee, but there are many Mutees remaining under different names,” Dima Tahboub, MP for the Islamic Action Front, said in a tweet on Tuesday.
“The names are different but the crimes against the nation and the people are similar.”
Trolls World Tour
Directed by: Walt Dohrn, David Smith
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake
Rating: 4 stars
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
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Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
Breast cancer in men: the facts
1) Breast cancer is men is rare but can develop rapidly. It usually occurs in those over the ages of 60, but can occasionally affect younger men.
2) Symptoms can include a lump, discharge, swollen glands or a rash.
3) People with a history of cancer in the family can be more susceptible.
4) Treatments include surgery and chemotherapy but early diagnosis is the key.
5) Anyone concerned is urged to contact their doctor
Company profile
Name: Tratok Portal
Founded: 2017
Based: UAE
Sector: Travel & tourism
Size: 36 employees
Funding: Privately funded
MATCH INFO
Burnley 1 (Brady 89')
Manchester City 4 (Jesus 24', 50', Rodri 68', Mahrez 87')
Three tips from La Perle's performers
1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.
2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.
3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.
Series info
Test series schedule 1st Test, Abu Dhabi: Sri Lanka won by 21 runs; 2nd Test, Dubai: Play starts at 2pm, Friday-Tuesday
ODI series schedule 1st ODI, Dubai: October 13; 2nd ODI, Abu Dhabi: October 16; 3rd ODI, Abu Dhabi: October 18; 4th ODI, Sharjah: October 20; 5th ODI, Sharjah: October 23
T20 series schedule 1st T20, Abu Dhabi: October 26; 2nd T20, Abu Dhabi: October 27; 3rd T20, Lahore: October 29
Tickets Available at www.q-tickets.com
Stat Fourteen Fourteen of the past 15 Test matches in the UAE have been decided on the final day. Both of the previous two Tests at Dubai International Stadium have been settled in the last session. Pakistan won with less than an hour to go against West Indies last year. Against England in 2015, there were just three balls left.
Key battle - Azhar Ali v Rangana Herath Herath may not quite be as flash as Muttiah Muralitharan, his former spin-twin who ended his career by taking his 800th wicket with his final delivery in Tests. He still has a decent sense of an ending, though. He won the Abu Dhabi match for his side with 11 wickets, the last of which was his 400th in Tests. It was not the first time he has owned Pakistan, either. A quarter of all his Test victims have been Pakistani. If Pakistan are going to avoid a first ever series defeat in the UAE, Azhar, their senior batsman, needs to stand up and show the way to blunt Herath.
Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
Soldier F
“I was in complete disgust at the fact that only one person was to be charged for Bloody Sunday.
“Somebody later said to me, 'you just watch - they'll drop the charge against him'. And sure enough, the charges against Soldier F would go on to be dropped.
“It's pretty hard to think that 50 years on, the State is still covering up for what happened on Bloody Sunday.”
Jimmy Duddy, nephew of John Johnson
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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