By Hani Hazaimeh
AMMAN – The government on Monday said that nearly 8,000 prisoners will be released under the general pardon law, while 6,000 cases that are being seen by courts will be annulled.
The release of detainees and inmates will save the state nearly JD40 million. However, a senior official noted that the treasury will lose more than JD150 million in expected revenues from traffic tickets and overdue fines on citizens who have failed to pay their financial obligations to the state.
At a meeting with media representatives yesterday, Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications and Government Spokesperson Taher Odwan said the draft law will be endorsed within the coming few days, adding that a committee from the Legislative and Opinion Bureau is still studying the legislation to determine which cases will benefit from the general pardon.
“Although Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit vowed not to issue pardon in a temporary law, more than 40 representatives signed a petition for the government to issue the draft in a temporary status in order to save time,” Odwan said.