King Abdullah tells of campaign to undermine Jordan

Monarch says 'there are still those who want to sabotage and sow doubt'

The palace said King Abdullah's property purchases were not made public out of 'security and privacy concerns'. Photo: Reuters

King Abdullah II said on Monday that there was a campaign to undermine Jordan, after international media reported that he bought more than $100 million of properties in the West.

The official news agency said the monarch told tribal leaders in central Jordan that "there is a campaign against Jordan and there are still those who want to sabotage and sow doubt".

"There is nothing that is being hidden," he said.

The Washington Post reported on Sunday that the monarch had spent more than $106m buying real estate in the US and the UK between 2003 and 2017.

The Royal Hashemite Court said earlier on Monday that the king owns several properties in the West and that he "personally funded" their purchase.

“The cost of these properties and all related expenditures have been personally funded by His Majesty,” the Royal Court said.

The reports included inaccuracies and distorted and exaggerated the facts, the Royal Court said.

"None of these expenses have been funded by the state budget or treasury,” it said. “This also applies to the personal expenditures of His Majesty and his family."

The statement said the kingdom’s public finances and foreign aid “are fully accounted for by the government and donor entities”.

The property purchases were not made public out of “security and privacy concerns, and not out of secrecy or an attempt to hide them”, the Royal Court said.