A former Jordanian royal court chief and a low-ranking member of the royal family pleaded not guilty on Monday to charges of agitating to destabilize the monarchy, one of their lawyers said.
Prosecutors had referred to a military court the case of Bassem Awadallah, an ex-royal court chief and finance minister, and Sherif Hassan Zaid, a distant relative of King Abdullah.
The pair were arrested in early April when former heir to the throne, Prince Hamza, was placed under house arrest over allegations that he had plotted to destabilize the kingdom.
During the first session of the trial on Monday, both pleaded not guilty, according to Mohamed Afif, Awadallah's lawyer.
"Awadallah said he was not guilty and I have no ties to this case," Afif said.
Proceedings against Prince Hamza, who along with Awadallah had been under investigation for some time, were later dropped after he pledged allegiance to King Abdullah.
Charges against Awadallah and Zaid include agitating to undermine the kingdom's political system and acts that threaten public security and sowing sedition. Both carry sentences up to 30 years in prison.
Monday's trial was held behind closed doors by the court at the start of the session that an open hearing could obstruct public order. The court will be holding another secret session on Tuesday, a judicial source said according to Reuters.
