Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06AMMAN5953
2006-08-07 13:12:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Amman
Cable title:  

JORDAN'S PROSECUTOR GENERAL: RESPONSES TO JUDICIAL

Tags:  EFIN KTFN PGOV SNAR PINR PREL JO 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXYZ0058
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHAM #5953/01 2191312
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 071312Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY AMMAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2955
INFO RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 005953 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/06/2026
TAGS: EFIN KTFN PGOV SNAR PINR PREL JO
SUBJECT: JORDAN'S PROSECUTOR GENERAL: RESPONSES TO JUDICIAL
COOPERATION REQUESTS FOR FINANCIAL INFORMATION EXPECTED
SOON

REF: AMMAN 4337

Classified By: Ambassador David Hale, Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 005953

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/06/2026
TAGS: EFIN KTFN PGOV SNAR PINR PREL JO
SUBJECT: JORDAN'S PROSECUTOR GENERAL: RESPONSES TO JUDICIAL
COOPERATION REQUESTS FOR FINANCIAL INFORMATION EXPECTED
SOON

REF: AMMAN 4337

Classified By: Ambassador David Hale, Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: Jordan's senior Prosecutor General told
emboffs that the GoJ will assist in all judicial cooperation
cases requested by the U.S. related to terrorism and
narcotics because of Jordan's commitments to international
agreements. One case was complete, and will be relayed to
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs "within two days" and could
then be passed to the USG. The Prosecutor General wants all
cases handled expeditiously, and said that the entire process
for all pending requests should be completed within a month
and a half. Requests in areas other than terrorism and
narcotics will be handled on a case-by-case basis, but due to
the lack of Jordan's accession to international agreements in
those areas, the country's bank secrecy laws will likely
prevent the relay of the information requested. Any future
U.S. requests for financial information will be referred
immediately to the Prosecutor General's office for expedited
handling. In a separate meeting, the Deputy Governor of the
Central Bank said that the information requested from five of
the banks had been completed. The remaining banks will be
completed shortly. Progress in reaching the end of this
lengthy process comes after intensive engagement over the
past six months by the Ambassador and staff at senior levels
of the Jordanian government. END SUMMARY.


2. (C) Jordan's Senior Prosecutor General, Naji Zu'bi, met
on August 6 with Ecouns, Legatt, and Treasatt to discuss the
current status of USG requests for judicial cooperation
dating back to 2004. NOTE: Zu'bi is the government's legal
representative on the inter-ministerial committee chaired by
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to handle these judicial
requests. His role is to provide the legal authority to
release the requested bank account information to the USG for
use in courts of law, thereby overcoming restrictions imposed

by the country's bank secrecy laws. END NOTE. Zu'bi said
that based on Jordan's international commitments in the areas
of countering terrorism financing and narcotics, he had
decided the GoJ will cooperate on all of the cases involving
those two areas. He referred to several of the embassy's
diplomatic notes, some dating back to 2004, and said that all
the available information requested in these notes for
terrorism and narcotics cases would be provided.


3. (C) Other cases-such as those relating to fraud,
bankruptcy or other areas-would be handled on a case-by-case
basis. However, Jordan had made no commitments to
international agreements in these areas. As a result, Zu'bi
doubted whether most of the information requested in these
cases could be released to the USG because of Jordan's strict
bank secrecy laws. NOTE: This position had been relayed to
the Embassy several weeks earlier. END NOTE.


4. (C) When told of the high interest in the cases in
Washington and of the need for faster responses to the USG
requests, Zu'bi agreed that the GoJ response had been slow.
However, once the cases had been presented to his office, he
had moved quickly. Zu'bi charged one of his Prosecutors
General with overseeing the investigations into all the
cases. In one case alone, that of the Safa Group, this
involved investigating eight separate banks holding the
accounts requested. The investigation into one particular
request dating back to August 2004 had just been completed
and he will be relaying the case to the Justice Minister for
further relay to the Minister of Foreign Affairs "within two
days."


5. (C) Regarding the response to the Safa Group case
requested in April 2006, Zu'bi expects the investigation to
conclude within "a very short period." He said he ordered
the prosecutor general handling the case to give it top
priority. When asked whether he would be willing to relay a
portion of the information requested in the Safa Group case,
he said he preferred to handle the case as a package.


6. (C) Zu'bi said he expects all cases to be completed
within a month, or a month and a half at the latest.
Henceforth, any case from the USG requesting similar
information will be relayed immediately to his office for
expedited handling.


7. (C) In an August 1 meeting, Deputy Governor of the
Central Bank of Jordan (CBJ) Faris Sharaf told Ecouns, Legatt
and Treasatt that CBJ auditors had completed the
investigations of five of the seven banks involved in
gathering the information requested by the USG. Most of the
information still outstanding involves data from 2000 and
earlier, which must be retrieved from warehouses where it is


archived.


8. (C) COMMENT: It appears that this very slow process is
nearly complete. It also appears that the Prosecutor General
has taken the need for full resolution of these cases fully
on board, after months of inaction by the inter-ministerial
committee. The light at the end of this tunnel comes after
intensive engagement at the highest levels of the Jordanian
government. The Embassy will continue to pressure the GoJ to
deliver until all requested information is accounted for.


9. (C) BIO NOTE: Zu'bi has been in his position since June

2004. He serves as the Prosecutor General for the central
area of Jordan. Since this includes the capital and its
suburbs, his office handles nearly 90% of the legal workload
for the country. He is from Ramtha in the north of Jordan,
received his legal training in Rabat, Morocco, and prides
himself on having done so with his own funds. He has never
traveled to the U.S. and has minimal English. He comes from
a large family, and has brothers working in the research
department of the CBJ.
Hale