By Khetam Malkawi

AMMAN - The Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) and the Audit Bureau said on Tuesday they will review a bureau report which deemed bonuses recently disbursed by GAM as illegal.

The issue was brought up during a Lower House Economic and Financial Committee meeting yesterday dedicated to the findings of a comprehensive report by the bureau on violations and outstanding issues regarding the financial performance of various state agencies.

At the meeting, attended by Amman Mayor Omar Maani, lawmakers questioned the legality of the decision to disburse JD128,000 in bonuses to senior GAM officials.

Defending the decision, Maani said the bonuses were disbursed according to the Municipalities Law and GAM’s financial bylaws.

He added that the bonuses were meant to retain employees, particularly after some experienced workers left the municipality for other institutions seeking higher salaries.

During the meetings, committee member Ahmad Bashabsheh said the bonuses contradict the Municipalities Law and should be retrieved.

“The bonuses were too high and this contradicts the law. The Amman mayor does not have the authority to decide the amount of bonuses, he should follow GAM regulations,” Bashabsheh said yesterday, noting that municipality bylaws dictate how much employees can receive in yearly bonuses.

The lawmaker also criticised the municipality’s new payroll, saying that basic salaries set out by the pay plan are also high.

Maani pointed out that GAM contracted a company last year to study payrolls in private companies and other institutions in order to set out new salaries for municipality workers.

According to Maani, GAM salaries are low compared to other institutions, and the new payroll aims to prevent employees from leaving their posts for the private sector.