2 men handed 10-year prison terms for robbing, murdering taxi driver

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a June 2020 Criminal Court ruling, sentencing two men to 10 years in prison each for robbing and murdering a taxi driver in Zarqa in April 2017.

The Criminal Court declared the defendants guilty of murdering the victim and robbing him in an isolated area in Zarqa on April 12 and handed them the death penalty.

However, the court decided to reduce the sentence to 10 years in prison for each of the two defendants because the victim’s wife dropped charges against them and because they benefitted from a general amnesty.  

Court papers said that the two defendants were in Amman and wanted to return to their home in Zarqa.

They pulled over the victim and, on the way, they decided to rob him, the court documents said.

“The two men asked the taxi driver to drive to a secluded area and when he parked his car, they attempted to rob him of his vehicle,” court papers said.

The victim pulled the keys from the ignition and jumped outside in an attempt to escape, court papers said.

The two men followed him and stabbed him on different parts of his body, the court maintained.

“The two waited until they made sure that he bled to death and slashed his throat as well, then walked away because they could not find the keys since it was dark,” according to court transcripts.

The defendants contested the verdicts through their lawyer’s arguing that the “prosecution failed to present any solid evidence to implicate them in the murder”.

Meanwhile, the Criminal Court’s attorney general asked the higher court to increase the prison term since “the 10-year prison term is not enough punishment given the atrocity of their murder”.

However, the higher court ruled that the Criminal Court proceedings had been accurate and that the defendants were given the appropriate punishment.

“The victim’s wife dropped charges against them and the two also benefited from a general amnesty, which worked to decrease their charges,” the higher court ruled.

The Cassation Court bench comprised judges Mohammad Ibrahim, Yassin Abdullat, Bassem Mubeidin, Saeed Mugheid and Nayef Samarat.