AML LAW DEFERRED

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 002328

SIPDIS

TREASURY FOR GLASER/ZARATE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/04/2015
TAGS: EFIN KTFN ETTC PGOV JO
SUBJECT: AML LAW DEFERRED

REF: AMMAN 1837

Classified By: CDA Christopher Henzel for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (U) In a procedural vote March 20, the Chamber of
Deputies, Jordan's lower house of Parliament, declined to
give "urgent" status to the Anti-Money Laundering (AML) bill
approved by the GOJ Cabinet on March 5 (reftel). After
hearing a defense of the bill's importance from Justice
Minister Salah al-Bashir, who presented it as a measure that
would "enhance the competitiveness of Jordan's banking
sector" by ensuring that it met international standards, the
deputies voted to refer the bill, without a date for a final
vote, to a joint committee drawn from the Legal and Finance
and Economic Committees.


2. (C) Bashir told CDA March 20 that the vote would postpone
a measure he regards as essential to protecting Jordan's
reputation. Chamber of Deputies Finance and Economic
Committee Chairman Hisham Dabbas told CDA the same day he was
confident the AML bill would pass, but it would now be
delayed until the extraordinary session of Parliament that he
expects in June


3. (C) COMMENT: The Chamber's decision to strip the AML bill
of its status as an "urgent" measure is a substantial
setback. The many other bills that are currently under
consideration by the Chamber makes it unlikely that the newly
established joint committee tasked with reviewing the bill
will present its report on the AML bill (setting the stage
for a vote) before the end of the current session on March

31. Our understanding is that the bill can indeed be
considered and approved during an extraordinary session of
Parliament, but only if it is listed in the royal decree
issued by the King setting the agenda for such a session.
Otherwise, the bill would be deferred until the next ordinary
session, which will begin in the Autumn/Winter of 2005. Post
will continue to press the GOJ to move this bill through
Parliament.
HENZEL