AMMAN: Jordan’s military court will start the trial next week of a former royal court chief and a minor royal on charges of agitating to destabilise the monarchy, state media said on Sunday.

Prosecutors last week referred to court the case of Bassem Awadallah, an ex-royal court chief and finance minister who played a big role in the drive to liberalise Jordan’s economy, and Sherif Hassan Zaid, a distant relative of King Abdullah.

They were arrested in early April when former heir to the throne Prince Hamza was placed under house arrest over allegations that he had liaised with foreign parties over a plot to destabilise Jordan, a close US ally in the Middle East.

Proceedings against Prince Hamza, who along with Awadallah had been under investigation for some time, were later dropped after he pledged allegiance to King Abdullah.

Awadallah is among the closest economic advisers to Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a matter that complicated the judicial investigations, two senior politicians familiar with the affair said.

Amman turned down Riyadh’s request to hand him over, they added, without elaborating.

The intrigue exposed the first serious rift within Jordan’s ruling Hashemite family in many years and shook the image of the country as an island of stability in an unpredictable region.Jordan’s Prince Hamzah hoped to overthrow King Abdullah II with the backing of Saudi Arabia, according to court indictments against two alleged accomplices released on Sunday.

Both the accused have close ties to neighbouring Saudi Arabia: former royal court chief Bassem Awadallah, who also holds Saudi nationality, and former special envoy to the kingdom, Sharif Hassan bin Zaid.

The two men face trial at the State Security Court later this month, and face up to 20 years in prison if found guilty, according to one of their lawyers.

But Hamzah, the king’s half-brother, who was accused of involvement in the alleged April 3 attempt to “destabilise the kingdom’s security”, will not stand trial.

Authorities have said his case had been resolved within the Hashemite royal family.

Regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia has fervently denied any involvement in the alleged plot.

After the news first broke, Riyadh quickly expressed “its full support” for Jordan “and for the decisions and measures taken by King Abdullah II and Crown Prince Hussein to safeguard security and stability”.

But while Hamzah, the king’s half-brother, will not face trial, his alleged role will be central to the trial.

“Prince Hamzah was determined to satisfy his personal ambition to rule, in violation of the constitution and Hashemite custom,” the indictment read.

“To succeed, he sought to exploit the concerns and problems of the population and to arouse sedition and frustration in society,” it added.

Awadallah is considered by several Jordanian media outlets to be close to Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman.

The indictment said Awadallah was “close to officials of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia” and had a network of contacts abroad.

Hamzah was reportedly especially concerned about Riyadh’s attitude.

“If something bad happens to me in Jordan, will Saudi officials help me or not?” Hamzah reportedly asked Awadallah, according to the indictment.

Published in Dawn, June 14th, 2021