Pandora Papers: How has Jordan's Abdullah ridden out the storm?

Image Source: The Guardian UK

It is one month since the release of the Pandora Papers: "A Money Bomb with Political Ripples", the New York Times dubbed them at the time. Other major papers gave the revelations wide coverage.

Major political repercussions were predicted by the pundits. And despite my now deep-seated cynicism, I too entertained a smidgeon of hope for our mission, Justice For Malki. 

Could it be that Jordan's king, star of those papers ["While foreign aid poured in, Jordan’s King Abdullah funnelled $100m through secret companies to buy luxury homes"], whose name opened nearly every article covering them, would actually lose some of his magic?

In its October 4, 2021 piece, the New York Times quoted Gary Kalman, director of the U.S office of Transparency International, an organization that monitors financial corruption around the world.

“I don’t think this is the end of Vladimir Putin — let’s not get carried away,” said Gary Kalman, director of the U.S. office of Transparency International, an organization that monitors financial corruption around the world. “But I do think the leaders of these countries, King Abdullah and others, do worry about their reputations,” Mr. Kalman said​ in a telephone interview.

Kalman went on:

For King Abdullah especially, he said, Jordanians now know “he has spent money on properties in Malibu and Georgetown, while in Jordan they don’t have enough money to provide basic services. That looks really bad.”

But not bad enough. A month down the road from Pandora's revelations, Jordan's dictator still has in his thrall powerbrokers of every persuasion imaginable: on both sides of the Congressional aisle, of all religions, and residing on several continents.

Arnold and I and our small circle of supporters are puzzled and perturbed by the global tolerance of Abdullah's documented corruption. 

The silence of the US government after Jordan's steadfast refusal to comply with its demand of Ahlam Tamimi's extradition is incomprehensible. 

The State Department's limp statement that the extradition treaty between Jordan and the U.S. - which Jordan declares void - is valid, is disappointing. 

The refusal of American Jewish and Israeli leaders to speak out and pressure Jordan to extradite her is beyond despicable. And the silence they toss us - or worse, their occasional empty, cliched words of sympathy - are offensive.

Our Malki, still so missed and loved, would have been 35 this month. It is a puzzle to me why so many callous people have managed to attain such influence and power and in so many spheres. And why those people choose warm relations with a dictator who shelters a mass murderer over fighting for justice.