A Member of Parliament: The Allegation Against the Producer of the Series 'Shahrzad' Has Not Yet Been Proven

The head of the Economic Corruption Combat faction in Parliament rejected some reports about the proven crime of the producer of the series 'Shahrzad', stating that he will pursue the publication of such 'false' news and reports from the judiciary. Amir Khajasteh said on Friday (January 7) to the 'House of the Nation' news agency that the Economic Corruption Combat faction has obtained significant documents and evidence regarding the embezzlement of the Cultural Fund, but the allegation of 'money laundering' against the producer of 'Shahrzad' has not yet been proven. Khajasteh added that any information regarding this 'embezzlement' was provided to the media before the formation of the investigative committee, and this committee has not published any information in this regard after its formation. According to him, 'According to the regulations, from the time the investigative committee is formed regarding the Cultural Fund, its members are not allowed to publicize the information obtained until the main report is read in Parliament.' This member of Parliament also stated that some media outlets are 'deceiving the public' and 're-publishing articles about this fund before the investigative committee's confirmation.' He said that this action by the media 'creates public confusion and is completely illegal.' This member of Parliament added that the producer of 'Shahrzad' has the 'legal right' to sue media outlets that falsely published news of 'his proven crime' without any evidence. Khajasteh added, 'No crime has been established yet, and the case regarding the Cultural Fund and its accused individuals is still under investigation by the judiciary and the investigative committee in Parliament.' 'Shahrzad' is the name of a 28-episode home series that credits only Mohammad Imami as the producer. On November 1 of this year, Hossein Maqsoudi, the spokesperson for the Economic Corruption Combat Commission, named Mohammad Imami and the wife of Shahabeddin Ghandali as two debtors to the Cultural Fund. Maqsoudi also stated that Imami's arrest was due to 'the manner of repaying the debt to the fund,' and that Ghandali's wife and Mohammad Imami settled their debt by transferring a piece of land, but 'the monetary value of the transferred land is less than their debt.' Imami is a well-known name in cinema, whose significant investment along with his partner Mohammad Hadi Razavi in the production of 'Shahrzad' and his determination to be more involved in cinematic productions turned his office into a place for a group of filmmakers to visit. Imami has also purchased the distribution rights to several important films in Iranian cinema this year and was even preparing to establish a distribution and screening office. While the production of the second season of 'Shahrzad' had begun with the same team as the first season and apparently with a larger budget, he was arrested in connection with the financial corruption case of the Cultural Fund affiliated with the Ministry of Education. His arrest was accompanied by a significant wave of criticism in the Persian-speaking virtual space, with the clarification of the financial sources of the series 'Shahrzad' being one of the main demands of the activists and executors of this movement. Critics of this movement demanded that the production team of 'Shahrzad' clarify the financial sources for the production of this series and state whether the production costs came from the ambiguous funds of the Cultural Fund case or not. The public relations of this series also responded to these requests by stating that the artistic team of 'Shahrzad' was not aware of the legal issues of its producer and is waiting for the clarification of 'all ambiguities and complete transparency' in this regard. They also stated that they would continue the production of the series until the final ruling and opinion of the judicial authorities are announced. In this response, however, there was no explanation regarding the financial sources of the series and how its production would continue while its producer is in custody.