Jordon Casino Gate
Jordan Casino Gate

The story behind Jordans Casino scandal

The Al-Jazeera Transparency Unit presents Jordan Casinogate, a cache of documents exposing the intimate links between politicians and businessmen planning to build illegal casinos. Previously secret letters, contracts and memos show that despite their denials, some of Jordan's most powerful politicians, including the Prime Minister, had in-depth knowledge of the deals:

  • Ministers diverted the country's constitution and penal code to get the project approved.
  • Ministers agreed to set aside land in the Dead Sea resort of Aqaba.
  • Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit not only knew about the casinos but saw the contracts and signed off various parts of the plan, despite his claims he had little knowledge of the plan.
  • Former prime ministers Nader Dahabi and Abu Ali Al-Ragheb, as well as former Tourism Minister Osama Dabbas, are all exposed as working on the plans.
  • The Speaker of the House, Faisal al Fayyez, who set the terms of the investigation, was himself Prime Minister when the first contract was signed in 2003.
About Casino Gate

What's inside the 20 documents:

  • 2 Different Contracts between GOJ and Casino Developers
  • 17 Pieces of Correspondence Among Key GOJ Officials
  • 5 Letters Directly Involving Prime Minister Bakhit and his views on the negotiations
  • 3 Letters Between former PM Abu Ali Al-Ragheb & former PM Nader Dahabi
  • 5 Letters Involving former Minister of Tourism Osama Dabbas