Former Jordan intelligence chief arrested on corruption charges

Feb 9, 2012, 14:20 GMT

Amman - Prosecutors in Jordan on Thursday ordered the arrest of the former head of the country's intelligence agency, Mohammad Dahabi, on corruption charges, judicial sources said.

Dahabi, who was fired in 2009 as the chief of the General Intelligence Department (GID), is accused of 'money laundering, embezzlement and the exploitation of his public post,' the sources added.

Reports of Dahabi's involvement in fraudulent practices first surfaced two weeks ago, when he was summoned by prosecutors after the Central Bank of Jordan accused him of laundering more than 40 million dollars while in office.

Dahabi, brother of former prime minister Nader Dahabi, is the second Jordanian intelligence chief to be charged with fraud practices over the past decade.

Former GID head Samih Battikhi was convicted by the State Security Court in 2003 and sentenced to four years in jail.

The Jordanian public prosecution is also probing allegations that Dahabi had bribed scores of Jordanian journalists while in office.

The latest moves are all part of a battle against corruption launched by the government of Prime Minister Awn Khasawneh, a former International Court of Justice (ICJ) judge, in a bid to appease critics.