Senate returns four bills to Lower House, endorses four draft laws

AMMAN — The Senate on Thursday returned four bills to the Lower House with proposed amendments and approved four other draft laws as referred from deputies.

During an Upper House session, senators approved the temporary amended anti-money laundering law, as it was submitted from the Lower House with a re-definition of money laundering.

In conformity with international and Arab accords, the bill covers dealing with money laundering and financing terrorism and also expands the jurisdiction of the anti-money laundering unit.

The Senate also endorsed the amended military retirement law but returned the draft standards and metrology law to the Lower House.

Senators said the bill should have retained a paragraph that entrusts only the Jordan Institution for Standards and Metrology with the calibration of measurement tools.

Senators also approved the food control bill as submitted by the Lower House.

Moreover, senators disagreed with deputies regarding an amendment introduced to the law on the make-up of Sharia courts, under which the Lower House stipulated that Sharia judges must be at least 30 years of age, instead of 27, which the Senate deemed a violation of the Constitution.

Senators said the Lower House changed the original text of the law, but it had received the bill to look into specific draft amendments unrelated to the article on judges’ age.

Also during the session, senators endorsed the Senate’s code of ethics.