Jordanian police interrogate main suspect in bank fraud

Published November 19th, 2002 - 02:00 GMT
Al Bawaba
Al Bawaba

Jordanian police on Tuesday interrogated a businessman suspected of bank fraud who arrived in the kingdom after being extradited from Australia, a government spokesman said, according to AP.  

 

Majd al-Shamayleh, who left Jordan in January and was believed to have escaped to Russia and then Thailand, was detained in Sydney on May 29 and charged with carrying a false passport and opening an Australian bank account using a false name.  

 

Australian police later dropped the charges but handed him over to immigration authorities because he had entered Australia illegally. Al-Shamayleh, 39, is the main suspect in a swindle that came to light in January and shook Jordan's political and business establishments.  

 

Local bankers claim they loaned tens of millions of dollars in early January to businessmen who either lacked adequate collateral or submitted fraudulent documents to the banks. Some of those documents allegedly bore forged signatures of senior government officials.  

 

Al-Shamayleh arrived in Jordan on Tuesday morning and was immediately referred to the State Security Court, where he was interrogated by a military prosecutor, Information Minister Mohammad Affash said. (Albawaba.com)

© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)

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