Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - His Majesty King Abdullah II said Tuesday that it is high time that the citizens feel the results of efforts in the fight against corruption, particularly in the current economic circumstances.

He spoke at a meeting at Al Husseiniyeh Palace with the president and members of the Royal Committee for Enhancing the National Integrity System and the head and members of the Integrity and Anti-Corruption Commission (IACC), which took over from the committee the task of following up on implementation of the integrity system's executive plan.

The King directed the IACC to build on the royal committee's achievements, pointing out that completing the committee's work falls on the shoulders of the commission after the endorsement of the Integrity commission's law.

His Majesty urged zero-tolerance in enforcing the law and serving justice, adding that any leniency in this endeavour would allow for more corruption and weaken the public's confidence in the state's agencies and institutions, stressing the need to integrity and anti-corruption legislation.

During the meeting, attended by the prime minister and the royal court chief, King Abdullah underlined combatting wasta (nepotism and favouritism) in all its forms and at all levels in order to achieve justice and enhance integrity as an institutional and societal practice.

The King emphasised the rule of law, integrity and good governance as the key pillars of a civil state, themes that had been highlighted in the King's Sixth Discussion Paper.

He thanked the Royal Committee for its efforts with the concerned authorities to translate the National Integrity Charter and executive plan into reality and guarantee optimal implementation of the integrity system as a key pillar in the comprehensive reform roadmap.

Head of the Royal Committee for Enhancing the National Integrity System, Rajaie Muasher, thanked the King for his support, noting that Jordan continues to advance on the rankings of countries combatting graft.

IACC President, Mohammad Allaf, said the Royal Sixth Discussion Paper, which focused on the rule of law and other integrity system fundamentals, had helped his commission to put forth a new national anti-corruption strategy for the next eight years.

The primary goal of the strategy, he pointed out, is to "make a qualitative impact in developing a Jordanian environment that rejects corruption and focuses on enforcing the national integrity system and promoting its tenets and criteria in public administration as well as in the private sector and civil society institutions".