The Pandora Papers – revealed Sunday – show that King Abdullah II of Jordan used a network of hidden firms to accumulate overseas properties during the 22 years of his reign, the BBC reported.

Worth as much as $100 million, the 15 properties are located in the US and UK – and were revealed by an exposé by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ).

Lawyers for the king said he used his own financial means to purchase the homes and denied any wrongdoing, the BBC reported.

But the optics are unflattering to Abdullah due to the relative poverty of Jordan.

The Middle Eastern state receives international aid, including from the two nations where the king’s properties lie. In 2020 the king’s government introduced a crackdown on hidden wealth in the country in response to anti-austerity protests.

The government of Panama appealed to the ICIJ not to publish its investigation, citing the negative impact it would have on the country’s reputation.

This follows the reputational damage that fell out from the Panama Papers’ revelations in 2016.

Source: BBC