Royal Court rejects reports on properties owned by King abroad

AMMAN — The Royal Hashemite Court, in a statement on Monday, rejected media reports on properties owned by His Majesty King Abdullah abroad.

Following is the full text of the Royal Court statement:

“The Royal Hashemite Court has been following recently published media reports on properties owned by His Majesty King Abdullah abroad, which included inaccuracies and distorted and exaggerated the facts.

It is no secret that His Majesty owns a number of apartments and residences in the United States and the United Kingdom. This is not unusual nor improper. His Majesty uses these properties during official visits and hosts officials and foreign dignitaries there. The King and his family members also stay in some of these properties during private visits. As such, the details pertaining to these properties are made available to the concerned parties when planning both official and private visits and coordinating on security matters.

These properties are not publicised out of security and privacy concerns, and not out of secrecy or an attempt to hide them, as these reports have claimed. Measures to maintain privacy are crucial for a head of state of His Majesty’s position.

In addition to privacy requirements, there are critical security considerations that prevent divulging His Majesty’s and his family’s places of residence, particularly in light of heightened security risks. As such, the act of revealing these addresses by some media outlets is a flagrant security breach and a threat to His Majesty’s and his family’s safety.

To this end, companies were registered in external jurisdictions to manage and administer the properties and to ensure strict compliance with all relevant legal and financial obligations.

The cost of these properties and all related expenditures have been personally funded by His Majesty. None of these expenses have been funded by the state budget or treasury. This also applies to the personal expenditures of His Majesty and his family.

All public finances and international assistance are subject to professional audits, and their allocations are fully accounted for by the government and donor entities. International assistance to the Kingdom is used for public purposes within the national budget allocations and is subject to agreed upon governance mechanisms and the oversight of donor states and institutions.

Any allegations that link these private properties to public funds or assistance are baseless and deliberate attempts to distort facts.

Such allegations are defamatory and designed to target Jordan’s reputation as well as His Majesty’s credibility and the critical role he plays regionally and internationally.

The Royal Hashemite Court categorically rejects all reports that have distorted the facts and presented misleading information and unsubstantiated conclusions, and it maintains its right to undertake the necessary legal procedures.”