AMMAN — Chairman of the Independent Election Commission (IEC) Musa Maaytah on Sunday said a memo was sent to the Islamic Action Front (IAF) informing them that they violated the Political Parties Law.

 

“We informed the IAF that they have 60 days to fix the violations or face legal prosecution,” Maaytah told The Jordan Times.

 

The IEC’s chief’s comments came a day following the authorities' announcement that they aborted an alleged attempt by an MP belonging to the IAF and two individuals to smuggle documents and papers from an undisclosed premises in Aqaba that reportedly belonged to the dissolved Muslim Brotherhood society in Jordan.

 

The Aqaba prosecutor’s office searched the premises, which was monitored by security agencies and was used by the banned Muslim Brotherhood society after detecting some suspicious activities.

 

An MP and two individuals were allegedly spotted leaving the premises carrying large black trash bags, which contained shredded papers and documents that allegedly belonged to the banned group.

 

When authorities searched the premises, they found additional documents, illegal flags, as well as clothes, badges and headbands bearing the group's logos belonging to the banned group.

 

The MP reportedly informed investigators that the premises was for one of the political parties that he belonged to and that he was authorised to rent it on their behalf.

 

According to the IEC’s records, the rented premises were not one of the disclosed locations by the political party.

 

Maayatah said that all political parties were requested to inform the IEC of the location of their premises, which should include a sign of their name as well as any other property in their name.

 

“We are only applying the law and any political party that violates the law will be legally prosecuted,” Maaytah added.

 

The IAF clinched the highest number of seats in the Parliamentary elections with 31 members from both the local and political parties (general) lists.

 

In April, the government reverted to the Court of Cassation’s decision in February 2020, to consider the Muslim Brotherhood society that was established on June 16, 1953, legally dissolved.

 

“Individuals who own assets that are affiliated with the dissolved Muslim Brotherhood society should contact the designated committee that was established by the Ministry of Social Development within one month,” the secretary general of the Ministry of Social Development, head of the committee, said.

 

Otherwise, “these individuals will be held accountable under the law,” he said.

 

During the same month, Interior Minister Mazen Faraya announced the immediate enforcement of the law provisions on the so-called dissolved Muslim Brotherhood by considering it an illegal association.

 

“We decided to close all headquarters or premises that are used by the Muslim Brotherhood or sites that are shared with other entities, under penalty of legal accountability,” Faraya said at the time.

 

He also announced during a press conference the banning of all activities related to the so-called Muslim Brotherhood and considered it an illegal association.

 

Faraya called on the committee that is entrusted with seizing all assets related to the Muslim Brotherhood to expedite the process in accordance with the law.

 

The minister also stressed that membership in the so-called dissolved Muslim Brotherhood is prohibited, as well as the spreading of its ideologies.

 

He added that legal action will be taken against any individual or entity if the current investigations into the terror-related cases that were announced last week prove that there are connections with the suspects or the alleged plots.

 

On April 15, the General Intelligence Department (GID) announced that 16 men, including some who were members of the Muslim Brotherhood, allegedly planned to cause chaos and sabotage acts in Jordan.

 

The group was charged with terrorism and manufacturing explosive substances against the suspects involved in alleged plots targeting Jordan’s national security.

 

The GID had said that the 16 men were arrested following close intelligence monitoring since 2021.