His Majesty King Abdullah on Monday said that combating corruption is a top priority in the pursuit of reform and sustainable development.

During a meeting with the president and members of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on Monday, King Abdullah said "there are no red lines hindering the conduct of the ACC in rooting out all forms of corruption and protecting the country from the phenomenon."

The King also said that all public institutions, including the Royal Court, are subject to ACC investigations and said the commission should be given real support and flexibility "if we intend to go through the right track".

During the meeting, King Abdullah law enforcement, including prosecution of suspects, should be undertaken without exception.

He reiterated that officials are prohibited from the claiming “directives from above” to justify decisions and stressed that all corruption cases should be handled with complete transparency to enhance the public's trust in the state.

The King underlined the importance of establishing a “framework of values and ethics” to prevent corruption and boost confidence in the government's ability to “stand firm against the corrupt and refer them to the court according to the law”.

He stressed that all the three authorities, the monitoring institutions, civil society organsiations and citizens should cooperate to combat graft, emphasising the importance of increasing public awareness about the phenomenon and enhancing the values of justice, transparency and the supremacy of law in theory and practice within society.

The King also instructed Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit, Royal Court Chief Khaled Karaki and his media adviser Amjad Adaileh, who were present at the meeting, to facilitate the ACC's work to ensure that it carries out its duties professionally.

Bakhit reiterated the government's commitment to drafting a law to protect whistleblowers, witnesses and experts, to amending financial disclosure laws and boosting other laws related to empowering the ACC.

ACC President Samih Bino briefed the King the commission's plans, pointing out that the ACC coordinates and cooperates with all monitoring agencies and other institutions of similar missions.