AMMAN, Aug 13 (AFP) - A lawsuit by Iraqi politician Ahmed Chalabi against Jordan, where he is wanted for fraud and embezzlement, is "politically motivated", Jordanian government spokeswoman Asma Khodr said in press statements Friday.
"He who calls for justice must have clean hands," Khodr told pro-government daily Al Rai.
"Chalabi's choice to file such a case now is an attempt to escape political pressure surrounding him" and the lawsuit "is politically motivated", she said.
According to Khodr, Jordan has not been officially notified of the suit which The New York Times newspaper said Chalabi filed on Wednesday in the United States.
It coincided with his return to Baghdad, where last week Iraqi judge Zuhair al-Maliky issued an arrest warrant against him for allegedly putting forged money into circulation, but he has yet to be detained.
In 1992, Chalabi was sentenced to 22 years in prison in absentia in Jordan for fraud and embezzlement of several hundred million dollars after his Petra Bank went bankrupt, 12 years after he set it up.
Chalabi has dismissed the case as a conspiracy orchestrated by Saddam Hussein's regime, the Jordanian government and Mohammed Said Nabulsi, the former head of the Jordanian central bank.
In the lawsuit, The New York Times said, Chalabi accuses others of taking Petra Bank funds including Nabulsi and former Jordanian prime minister Mudhar Badran.
He also says Jordan convicted him as punishment for his opposition to Saddam and also out of fear he would disclose information about illegal Jordanian arms sales to Iraq.
The suit says Jordan sought to arrest Chalabi to turn him over to Iraqi secret service agents.
On Thursday Nabulsi told AFP that Jordan had been "merciful" with Chalabi.
"If Ahmed Chalabi had arguments in his defence he should have presented them in Amman rather than flee prosecution," Nabulsi said.
"Jordanian justice was merciful with him. American justice will certainly more firm because US laws against fraud and embezzlement are more severe," he added.
Earlier this week Khodr reiterated that Jordan wanted to see justice carried out against Chalabi but said it was premature to call for his extradition.