Senate rejects imposing illicit fortunes law retroactively
11-07-2013 03:03 PM
Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - The Senate on Thursday returned the draft illicit fortunes bill to the Lower House of Parliament, after it amended some of its clauses and rejected a clause proposed by the Lower House to apply the law retroactively.
In its session on Thursday headed by Senate President Taher Masri, the upper house of parliament also decided to scrap the sentence "min ayna laka hatha" (Where did you get this from) from the title of the draft law, as proposed by the Lower House, which endorsed the draft bill earlier in the week.
The Senate justified its decision to refuse the retroactive imposition of the law because it contradicts the Universal Declaration of Human Rights ratified by Jordan, and violates citizens' rights guaranteed in the constitution.
The Senate's legal committee noted that corruption crimes committed before the illicit fortunes law goes into effect are incriminated and covered by other effective current penal laws.
The Lower House of Parliament had endorsed the draft law as it was received from the government, amending some of its articles including adding the clause to the name of the law.
The Senate is expected to deliberate in its next session on the Public Institutions Restructuring Law, which was recently endorsed by the Lower House.