House votes up trial of two former ministers

الأنباط - The Lower House of Parliament on Sunday granted permission for the legal prosecution of two former ministers, Taher al-Shakhsheer and Sami Halasa, but voted down the removal of immunity from its MPs, Ghazi al-Hawamleh and Sadah al-Habashneh.

During a session chaired by House Speaker Atef Tarawneh, lawmakers approved the legal committee's decision regarding violations and wrongdoings committed by the two ministers, which were deemed grounds for prosecution.

A sweeping majority of 119 and 121 voted in favor of referring al-Shakhsheer and Halasa to the judiciary.

Only 50 lawmakers voted in favor of removing al-Hawamleh's immunity, while 51 out of 118 voted in favor of removing al-Habashneh's immunity but both votes were below the statutory majority.

Article 56 of the Constitution stipulates that the prosecution of ministers for crimes related to carrying out their official duties should only be done based on a majority vote from the Lower House.

Article 86 prohibits the arrest or prosecution of any MP unless their was a majority vote on compelling reasons.