ACC seizes assets of former Phosphates Chief Walid Kurdi
30-12-2012 12:00 AM
Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Prosecutor General on Saturday placed the assets of the former Board Chairman of the Jordan Phosphates Company (JPMC) Walid Kurdi under pre-judgement seizure over corruption charges and finance scam violations reaching 40 million dollars.
Kurdi, who was CEO of the company (2007-2012), has left Jordan en route to London on January 6, 2012 and has not returned to Jordan since, and the company refuses to specify any dates for Kurdi's travel or return to Jordan.
The ACC ordered pre-judgement attachment of all of Kurdi's movable and immovable assets in part of its investigation into the financial scam charges related to a number of sea shipping contracts with foreign companies at unfair prices, while deciding not to sign any contracts with the Jordan International Chartering Company, which JPMC already owns 30 percent of its shares.
On February 26, Kurdi refused to appear before the parliamentary probe committee investigating corruption charges in the sale and privatization of the company in 2006. On March 17th, Kurdi submitted his resignation.
The Jordan Phosphate Mines Company, a public joint stock corporation, with a capital of 75 million dinars / shares, is listed at the Amman Stock Exchange.
Witnesses testimonies and scrutiny of contracts and other documents showed that in 2010, the company signed an agreement to ship 250,000 tons of phosphate to Turkey with the Aqaba Development & Maritime Services Company (ADAMS) owned by Al-Kurdi and his relatives. Moreover, investigations also revealed that ADAMS secured 70 percent of marine shipping of the company's exports through the Aqaba port, Jordan News Agency reported.