Jordan king sacks court chief, advisers
Jordan’s King Abdullah II has dismissed the chief of his royal court and 10 advisers in a long-expected move brought forward by last week’s bombing in Amman, a senior official says.
Palace aides on Tuesday said Salem Turk, former deputy chief of staff in charge of army investments, would replace tribal leader and former prime minister Faisal Fayez as chief of the royal court.
The move had been expected for several months as part of a drive to improve the efficiency of the court.
“The moves may have been speeded up by the tragic events but the decision itself has nothing to do with it. It’s related to moves to restructure the royal court,” one senior official told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
Adnan Bakhi, a former ambassador to Israel who had been appointed last September as acting head of national security and chief of staff of the king’s private office, was officially confirmed in that post.
Also among the 10 advisers who were dismissed is Saad Kheir, a former head of intelligence. Kheir was removed from that post last May as part of a drive to curb corruption and reduce the role of the intelligence services in political life, and given a largely nominal post as national security adviser.
In Jordan‘s political system, officials are frequently moved from executive positions to royal adviser posts as a gentle transition out of political life.