A Member of Tehran City Council: 20 Trillion Tomans Went Missing During Ghalibaf's Mayorship

One day after the Mayor of Tehran reported on 'violations' during Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf's management, a member of the Tehran City Council reported that 20 trillion tomans from the Tehran municipality budget went 'missing' during the years 2005 to 2017. According to ISNA news agency, Majid Farahani stated in a session on Tuesday, January 25, that there is a discrepancy of '20 trillion tomans' between the municipality's revenues and expenditures over the 12 years of Ghalibaf's mayorship, and the fate of this 'missing' amount needs to be clarified. He added, 'Although some say this money was used to pay debts, it raises the question of whether we have accounting records, as it is not mentioned anywhere where this 20 trillion tomans went.' According to Mr. Farahani, a different figure from 20 trillion tomans was mentioned in the mayor's report, and based on this report, the status of 5.2 trillion tomans of the municipality budget is unclear. He called for the judiciary and the General Inspection Organization to investigate this issue and clarify the status of these funds. This member of the Tehran City Council also noted that in surveys, municipalities are recognized as 'one of the most corrupt institutions,' and in one survey, one-third of those who visited the municipality reported that 'they were asked for requests contrary to regulations.' Mohammad Ali Najafi, the Mayor of Tehran, on Sunday, January 24, accused the former mayor and managers of this institution of issues such as 'spending the municipality's budget in presidential elections,' 'suddenly hiring 13,000 people before elections,' 'betrayal in the municipality employees' reserve fund,' and 'arbitrarily transferring 674 properties.' Mr. Najafi also stated that the Tehran municipality intends to send reports of four or five instances of 'violations' during Ghalibaf's mayorship to the judiciary. Gholamhossein Mohseni Eje'i, the spokesperson for the Iranian judiciary, responded to these remarks by saying, 'New officials usually have comments about former officials. We also say report it so we can address it, but sometimes they talk and do not provide a report.' In a public session on March 24 of last year, representatives of the parliament voted against a proposal for an investigation into the Tehran municipality with 132 votes in favor, 90 against, and five abstentions out of 233 present representatives. However, some members of parliament have again proposed a plan to conduct an investigation into the Tehran municipality. This plan has not yet been reviewed in the public session of the parliament. Reformists, who control the municipality and the Tehran City Council, criticize Ghalibaf's actions and believe that he created an unfavorable financial situation in this institution during his 12 years as mayor. 'Lack of financial discipline and increased municipality expenses,' 'excessive sale of density,' 'increase in Tehran municipality staff,' and 'widespread corruption' are among the criticisms of reformists regarding Ghalibaf's management. However, Ghalibaf has denied all reports related to corruption in the municipality and stated that there has not been a single instance of 'organized violation' in this institution.