House to look into lifting immunity of 5 MPs

AMMAN — The Lower House’s Legal Committee is now examining a request to lift the parliamentary immunity of five MPs to face charges looked into by the judiciary. 

A well-informed source from the House’s Permanent Bureau told The Jordan Times on Thursday that the MPs whose immunity was requested to be lifted are: Ahmed Safadi, Qusai Dmeisi, Mohammad Dawaimeh, Mirza Boulad and Mutaz Abu Rumman.

 The source added that the request to lift immunity on the said deputies has been submitted by the judiciary to be able to proceed with legal procedures in the lawsuits filed against the five MPs. He also said that citizens have filed lawsuits against the five MPs on charges of slander and others.

As a conventional procedure, the source said, the committee will refer the request to the House Secretariat for examination, adding that the lifting of immunity has to be passed by an overwhelming majority of MPs in a full House session. According to Paragraph A of Article 86 of the Constitution: “No senator or deputy may be detained or tried during the currency of the sessions of the National Assembly unless the House to which he/she belongs decides by an absolute majority that there is sufficient reason for his/her detention or trial or unless he/she was arrested in flagrante delicto. In the event of his/her arrest in this manner, the House to which he/she belongs, shall be notified immediately.”