Former minister defends his role in 'casino case'

Former minister defends his role in 'casino case'
By Raed Omari

AMMAN - A former tourism minister involved in the so-called casino file has denied that the deal cost the country any funds, dismissing as baseless accusations of corruption.

Osama Dabbas, who was a member of Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit’s 2007 Cabinet has taken the defensive lately, supported by members of his tribe, who allege the former official is likely to be a “scapegoat” in the case.

Dabbas told The Jordan Times over phone that he decided to break his silence after MP Khalil Atiyyeh gave statements to a local website, pointing to Dabbas by name as being behind the deal, which triggered public anger as it was reported it could have cost the country hundreds of millions as a penalty for scrapping the deal after one week of signing it.

“Till the moment I left office, there was no such penalty in the agreement,” which was signed with a British company that planned to build a casino on the shores of the Dead Sea.

The government of Nader Dahabi, who succeeded Bakhit in December 2007, said that they had spared JD1.4 million by renegotiating the deal with the investor. It was reported then that the company was compensated with large plots of lands before the file was closed.

“Bakhit, in his capacity as the incumbent prime minister, has said recently that Jordan incurred nothing as a result of the deal, so why are these people talking about huge fines?” Dabbas said Saturday.

The former official said that the Cabinet on December 6 decided to suspend the casino agreement, noting “the government did that on fears that the Islamists will vote ‘nay’ for the government if it goes to the Lower House with the deal”.

When Bakhit became prime minister for the second time in February, he said the case will be among the first files to be checked in official probes of suspected corruption. He soon referred the file to the Anti-Corruption Commission before the Lower House insisted that the case was constitutionally under its jurisdiction and started an investigation all over. Weeks later, they announced that former ministers were implicated but stopped short of naming any suspect. Atiyyeh headed the investigation panel.

The world over, the same flimsy and erroneous reasons are used:

He added that there was a consensus among all ministers that the deal would contribute to enhancing the tourism sector and generate revenues to the treasury.