House Legal Committee endorses general pardon draft law

AMMAN — The Lower House’s Legal Committee endorsed the 2019 general pardon draft law on Sunday after holding long discussions.

Traffic fines, violation of residency requirements, as well as breaches of duty (with some exceptions), have been pardoned in the draft, said the head of the committee, MP Abdul Monem Odat, in a press statement. 

Earlier this month, the Lower House referred the draft law to its Legal Committee, granting it “urgency status”.

All print, publication and cybercrime cases were included in the draft bill, provided the victims of such crimes waive their personal and civil rights, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The draft pardon law also includes cases of manslaughter, premeditated murder, theft and counterfeiting, on the condition victims waive their personal and civil rights.

Drug abuse violations were also included to give those accused a second chance, Odat said, stressing that drug trafficking is not included in the draft law. The pardon also covers the writing of bad cheques, he said, noting the law safeguards the creditor's rights.

The committee, according to the statement, has also adopted cutting the penalties of some crimes according to their types. 

The bill guarantees a balance between society’s right to inflict punishment on those who break the law and ensures that the civil and financial rights of those harmed by violators are safeguarded, said Petra. 

Exceptions to the bill include serious crimes that have to do with the safety of society, including those related to state security, in addition to economic crimes and violations to the duties of public office, he remarked.

Lower House Speaker Atef Tarawneh has recently called for expanding the list of crimes covered by the General Pardon Law as much as possible to implement the Royal Directives aimed at alleviating citizens' burdens, Petra added.