House committee begins discussions on Penal Code amendments

AMMAN — The Parliamentary Legal Committee on Sunday began discussing the draft law amending the Penal Code for the year 2022, in the presence of the Minister of Justice Ahmad Ziadat and Minister of State for Legal Affairs Wafa Bani Mustafa, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Heading the meeting, MP Abdulmunim Oddat said that “this law is the only one that has not been amended within the political reform system” recommended by the Royal Committee to Modernise the Political System, due to the need to examine it in-depth and search for alternative penalties. He added that the latest amendments to the Penal Code were in 2017, noting that the draft aims to “cement the rule of law”, maintain security, stiffen penalties for crimes against community.

The draft also seeks to impose special penalties on fraudsters, criminalise fabricating data in official information systems, piracy and beggary, among other violations.