Leaked Documents Expose Corruption in $200M Sulfur Deal Involving Jordanian Officials
Former MP Taha Al-Sharafa and JPMC Chairman Mohammed Thneibat accused of illegal commissions and financial misconduct in high-profile sulfur contract.
Watan-Leaked documents have revealed that former Jordanian MP Taha Al-Sharafa received illegal commissions from deals conducted in Dubai, UAE. These deals involved a $200 million sulfur sales contract between the Jordan Phosphate Mines Company (JPMC) and an Indian company.
The deal, in which Al-Sharafa appeared as a front for JPMC Chairman Mohammed Thneibat to secure hidden commissions, has reignited public outrage in Jordan.
Parliamentary Investigation Likely
Sources anticipate the issue will be raised in Jordan’s parliament, with demands to uncover the agreement’s details and refer the matter to the Integrity and Anti-Corruption Commission.
The Jordan Phosphate Mines Company has faced controversy over several issues, including high salaries, allowances, and bonuses for its board members. Last year, these amounted to approximately 1.454 million Jordanian dinars, sparking widespread public and parliamentary debate.
Financial Mismanagement Allegations
JPMC’s financial report indicates that Chairman Mohammed Thneibat personally received more than half of these payments. His allowances and financial benefits in 2023 amounted to 894,000 dinars (including salaries, travel allowances, meeting attendance fees, and bonuses), compared to 546,000 dinars in 2022. Additionally, the company absorbed over 200,000 dinars in income taxes on his behalf.
Thneibat’s annual salary was raised from 200,000 dinars in 2022 to 250,000 dinars in 2023, while his other bonuses increased from 250,000 to 532,000 dinars. Travel and meeting allowances also rose by 3,000 dinars, totaling 36,000 dinars annually.
Thneibat has chaired the JPMC board since March 2017, representing the private sector, after serving on the board from 2004 to 2012.
The revelations come amid a sharp rise in Jordan’s public debt, which reached an unprecedented level of 43.4 billion dinars (approximately $61.23 billion) as of August 2024. This accounts for about 116.1% of Jordan’s GDP, according to the Ministry of Finance.
