Soon after it lifted most restrictions associated with COVID-19 health measures, the Jordanian government launched an unprecedented anti-corruption campaign June 6 against former officials, businessmen and companies suspected of involvement in tax evasion, money laundering, abuse of power and embezzlement.

There have been various news reports of police raids at the request of the Integrity and Anti-Corruption Commission (JIACC) of offices belonging to major businessmen, including one linked to a senior parliamentary figure. The owner of a cigarette manufacturing company is being investigated for unpaid taxes estimated at 134 million Jordanian dinars ($189 million), Al-Monitor has learned.

On June 10, Prime Minister Omar Razzaz was quoted by the Jordan Times as saying that the government is committed to implementing all of its anti-corruption measures, adding that corrupt persons have “no immunity” and that the law “applies to all.” Razzaz added, “What the JIACC is doing on the procedural level must be strengthened through legislation and regulations to help it play its role in recovering public money in the public sector as well as in the private sector in regard to tax evasion.”

Economic analyst and editor of the Maqar news site Salameh al-Dar’awi told Al-Monitor, “Tax evasion has challenged previous governments and since the government cannot raise taxes during these difficult times to generate income, it had to confront this issue directly.” He added that according to a World Bank study, tax evasion costs the treasury between 600 million to 800 million Jordanian dinars ($845 million-$1.1 billion) annually.