His Majesty King Abdullah on Sunday directed the government to form an independent commission that is to draft a law to combat corruption and stamp out “wasta” as another measure to speed up reform.

In a letter, King Abdullah told Prime Minister Adnan Badran to prepare a draft law on the commission and refer it to Parliament “with urgency status.” The law is intended to fulfil what the King stated was a “clear strategy” to combat corruption and prosecute its perpetrators.

King Abdullah stressed that the commission is mandated to seek out cases of corruption and keep the public informed of the negative and dangerous consequences of such illicit actions.

As part of its mandate, the commission will monitor all state agencies, civil society institutions, public shareholding companies and establishments that deal with the public sector, the King said.

On Wednesday, King Abdullah told a group of deputies that a Royal Court “integrated study” reconsidering anti-corruption mechanisms and guaranteeing more transparency, justice and integrity was ready.

In the letter, the King said corruption and "character assassination" were one and the same. He said Jordan refuses to deal with those who seek to defame persons either by libel or slander, and call for legal action against those who commit such wrongs.

His Majesty the King stressed that “wasta” (favouritism) and nepotism have infringed on people's rights, allowed for the abuse of public funds and deprived some citizens from deserved opportunities.

He called for considering the “criminalization of wasta” as a value of Jordanian society.

The Jordan Times