Jordan refers ex-royal chief to security court over alleged foreign-linked conspiracy

FILE PHOTO: Jordan's King Abdullah II listens during a meeting in Amman, Jordan, May 26, 2021. Alex Brandon/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

AMMAN (Reuters) - Jordanian prosecutors on Wednesday referred the case of a former top confidant of King Abdullah and a minor royal to the state security court over accusations of conspiring to destabilise the country, state media said on Wednesday.

Judicial sources said the step paved the way for the trial of Bassem Awadallah, an ex-royal court chief and finance minister who played a big role in the drive to liberalise the economy, and Sherif Hassan Zaid, a distant relative of the king.