A Jordanian court is due to deliver its verdict Monday, July 12 in the trial of two officials accused of wanting to overthrow King Abdullah II in favor of his half-brother Prince Hamza, an unprecedented crisis that shook the Hashemite kingdom in April.
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Main protagonist in this case, Prince Hamza is not tried during this trial which is interested in the cases of Bassem Awadallah, former head of the royal office, and Cherif Hassan ben Zaid. Accused of taking part in the plot, of having
"worked against the safety and security of Jordanian society"
and
"of inciting sedition"
, the two men pleaded not guilty. They face up to 20 years in prison if found guilty of all charges against them by the State Security Court, a military tribunal whose magistrates are partly civilians. According to the 13-page indictment, Prince Hamza, 41,
"Was determined to fulfill his personal ambition to rule, and this in violation of customs and the Hashemite Constitution."
According to the text, Prince Hamza would have sought to obtain help from Saudi Arabia.
Bassem Awadallah and Cherif Hassan ben Zaid are closely linked to the Saudi kingdom: the first holds the nationality and the second was for a time special envoy of the Jordanian king.
A neighboring regional power, Saudi Arabia had firmly denied being involved in this unprecedented crisis and expressed its
“total”
support
for the king.
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Appointed crown prince in 1999 but dismissed from his post in 2004 by King Abdullah who had appointed his own son instead, Hamza accused the authorities of his country of
"corruption"
and
"incompetence"
in a video published by the BBC April 3. That day, he claimed to have been placed under house arrest for his alleged participation in a
"conspiracy"
. However, he denied this accusation. The government announced the next day the arrest of 18 people involved in this attempt to
"undermine the security and stability of Jordan"
. Sixteen of them have since been released. Prince Hamza will not
stand
trial, his case having been resolved within the royal family after he pledged allegiance to the king and promised to
"remain loyal to him"
.
The trial of the two accused is being held behind closed doors in the capital Amman. The court rejected a request by defense lawyers to summon three princes in particular, as well as Prime Minister Bicher al-Khasawneh and Foreign Minister Aymane Safadi as witnesses. A
“non-productive”
request
, according to the Court. At the start of the proceedings, Bassem Awadallah's lawyer, Mohamed Afif, said the two defendants
"insisted that Prince Hamza testify in this case"
.
"The final decision rests with the court but if he refuses to make him appear, he must justify it,"
he told AFP at the end of June. According to Alaa Al-Khasawneh, lawyer for Cherif Hassan bin Zaid, the defense asked the court to
"declare
(the)
two innocent customers ”
.
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Bassem Awadallah, former Minister of Finance and Planning, was very close to the Jordanian king.
Prior to becoming Head of the Royal Court in 2007, he served as Chief of the King's Cabinet in 2006. He ultimately resigned his post as Head of the Royal Court in 2008 after being sharply criticized for his alleged interference in political matters and controversial economics.
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