8 arrested, including 2 candidates, over alleged 'vote buying'
15-01-2013 12:00 AM
Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - Eight people were arrested and detained pending investigation into allegations of vote-buying and use of political money in the elections campaigning process, according to judicial sources.
Two courts on Tuesday decided to apprehend eight individuals, including two candidates running for the upcoming parliamentary elections, one in second district in Amman and another in Mafraq.
In details, Ammon News learned that the Southern Amman Public Prosecutor Judge Ahmad Rawahneh on Tuesday ordered the detention of a candidate running in Amman's 2nd district in Juweidah prison for 15 days pending investigation into allegations of vote-buying.
The candidate faces charges of offering money to voters to influence their decision on election day, in violation of the Elections Law.
Ammon News also learned that another case of vote buying by an Amman candidate and his supporters has been referred to Judge Rawahneh for legal measures.
The Judicial Police received a warrant to search a home in Amman suspected of containing electoral voter cards for the purpose of buying and selling votes.
Receipts and documents were seized from the home totaling JD 5,900, offered to 590 voters to pay JD 10 to each voter from the candidate, Ammon News learned.
In a separate incident, Public Prosecutor at Mafraq's Court of First Instance Judge Bilal Hawamdeh decided on Tuesday to arrest and detain a female candidate and six others pending investigation into allegations of political money and vote buying practices.
Judicial sources told Ammon News that the female candidate running in Mafraq governorate was ordered detained for 15 days pending investigation in accordance with Article 63 of the 2012 Parliamentary Elections Law that prohibits vote-buying.
The candidate's campaign however is still ongoing while legal measures are taken against her.
The Public Security Department announced on Tuesday that Preventative Security cadres questioned a Mafraq resident into allegations that the female candidate in Mafraq paid money in return of seizing the voter cards of the man and his family until election day.
The man admitted to submitting his family's voter-cards to a "middle-man" working on behalf of the female candidate, who in turn also admitted to offering money in exchange for the family's vote on election day.
PSD announced that the case was referred to the Mafraq Public Prosecutor for investigation. The judge ordered the woman and three others related to the case detained for 15 days.