AMMAN, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Bassem Awadallah, Jordan's former finance minister and royal court chief, and the royal family member Sharif Hassan Ben Zeid on Monday pled not guilty to the charges of sedition against the regime, Awadallah's chief lawyer Mohammad Afif told Xinhua.
This first session of their trial was held on Monday under heavy security and closed to media. The second session will be held on Tuesday.
Last week, the State Security Court announced prosecution against Awadallah and Zeid, meaning they are charged with harming the safety and security of Jordan and destabilizing the country, state-run Petra news agency reported.
Zeid was also charged with possession of narcotics, Petra said.
In early April, Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister Ayman Safadi announced that Prince Hamza, Awadallah, and Zeid had contacts with external powers in an attempt to act against the country. Enditem