Cabinet stiffens car theft penalties

AMMAN — The Cabinet on Wednesday endorsed an amended version of the Penal Code that stiffens the penalty for car theft to a minimum of five years in prison with hard labour.

The 2014 amendments to the Penal Code came in response to a request by 18 deputies.

Under the amendments, those convicted of automobile theft will not be able to benefit from sentence commutation or receive suspended sentences.

If the case involves the theft of car parts, the penalty is no less than a two-year prison term that can be commuted to a minimum of six months if the legal requirements are met. But the sentence cannot be suspended under any condition, according to the amended draft.

The draft stipulates that those proven guilty of involvement in selling or buying a stolen car or parts of it, knowing that it is stolen, face between one and three years in prison. A commuted sentence should be no less than four months and the sentence cannot be suspended.

Those who use a car without the permission of its owner face between one and three years in prison and must pay a fine ranging from JD500 to JD1,000, according to the draft, which will now be sent to the Legislation and Opinion Bureau for review. 

The Council of Ministers also tasked the Foreign Ministry with investigating reports that Israel has sold part of a plot of land owned by the government in East Jerusalem.

The Cabinet condemned such a move, if proven, denouncing any attempts to Judaise Jerusalem.

The Council of Ministers also approved submitting an official request for observer status in the African Union and accrediting Jordan's ambassador to Cairo, who is also the Kingdom's non-resident ambassador to Ethiopia, to serve as Jordan's representative to the union.

In addition, the Cabinet endorsed the mandating reasons for amending the Telecommunications Law. The ICT Ministry has prepared the amendments in cooperation with other concerned agencies. 

The Council of Ministers also endorsed the 2014 draft non-Muslim religious councils law to be sent to the Lower House for deliberations.