3 men handed 22-year prison terms each in ‘tobacco case'

AMMAN — The State Security Court (SSC) on Wednesday sentenced three main suspects in the so-called "tobacco case" to 22 years each in prison after convicting them of performing acts that endanger society’s safety.

The court also ordered that each defendant to pay JD20,000 in fines.

Other suspects, including high-level officials, received prison terms ranging from three-and-a-half years to 10 months in prison for their involvement in the case.

The main defendant in the case Awni Mutee, who was one of three defendants who was sentenced to 22 years in prison, was among 29 men and 25 companies standing trial at the SSC on charges of performing acts that endanger society’s safety, security and economic resources, as well as acts that changed the state’s economic structure or endanger society’s basic conditions.

Other charges levelled against the defendants and the companies included accepting or providing bribes to carry out illegal acts, abusing power and money laundering, as well as tax evasion, among others.

The defendants had pleaded not guilty during their opening trial in March 2019.

Two of the 29 defendants died in recent years and the charges against them were dropped by the court.

The SSC also acquitted four defendants from all charges for lack of evidence during the six-hour court hearing.

The presiding judge stated that the SSC decided to inflict the maximum punishment against Mutee due “to the dangerous acts that he committed, which reflected negatively on the Jordanian economy and its security”.

The court stated in its verdict that the defendant’s actions focused on manufacturing tobacco illegally and claiming it is international brands then exporting it without paying taxes or customs fees.

The SSC’s indictment list chronicled years of cooperation in the illegal operation between Mutee and a former Customs Department high-level official who facilitated the smuggling process.

The facilitation process reportedly included transferring or referring to retirement any employee who would impede tobacco smuggling, as well as diverting inspection from Mutee’s business, according to the court document.

“The defendants’ actions of manufacturing tobacco illegally and export it illegally to evade tax and customs fees had cost the Jordanian treasury around JD179 million,” the court said in its verdict.

Also during Wednesday’s session, the court announced the seizure of property, jewellery, tobacco and raw material used in the manufacturing process, and other valuable assets belonging to the convicted persons.

The SSC also ordered the closure of all the companies that were found guilty during Wednesday's court hearing. 

Meanwhile, the court declared Mutee innocent of bribery and money laundering charges for lack of evidence.

Mutee reportedly fled the country to Lebanon last year, one day ahead of a crackdown on the illegal tobacco manufacturing and smuggling factory, but was later extradited from Turkey.

Former SSC Presiding Judge Mohammad Afif told The Jordan Times that the penalty would drop against the defendants “in this case if they secure financial settlements that are related to the case with the government”.

“If the government agrees to the financial settlement then the prison sentences will drop and this system is applicable in many countries since governments prefer to retrieve the financial losses rather than keep the perpetrators in prison,” Afif explained.

The defence team had contested the SSC’s jurisdiction in the trial arguing that their clients should be tried in civil courts and that “illegal questioning and interrogations of their clients” took place.

However, the SSC decided in April 2019 that it has jurisdiction over the case.

Wednesday’s verdicts that handed more than five years of prison terms will automatically be reviewed at the Court of Cassation within the next 30 days.

The defendants can also appeal their verdicts, including sentences that are less than five years.