A Minister of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's Government Arrested on Charges of 'Economic Disruption'

News sources in Iran have reported the arrest of Parviz Kazemi, the Minister of Welfare and Social Security in Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's government, on charges of 'disruption of the economic system.' An 'informed source' in the judiciary, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) that Kazemi was 'arrested two days ago on charges of economic disruption and transferred to Evin prison.' This source did not specify the type of 'economic disruption' that led to Kazemi's arrest, but it is likely that he was detained due to embezzlement in the Teachers' Savings Fund. The Teachers' Savings Fund has over 800,000 members affiliated with the Ministry of Education and pays annual interest on the monthly deposits of teachers. Jabbar Kuchakinejad, the head of the committee investigating the Teachers' Savings Fund, has reported a 15 trillion tomans violation in this fund and stated that there may be further violations related to it. The government-affiliated news agency also quoted a Telegram channel of Ahmadinejad's supporters stating that Kazemi has been transferred to 'Ward 4 of Evin Prison.' However, these reports did not mention the timing of Kazemi's arrest. Parviz Kazemi served as the Minister of Welfare and Social Security in Ahmadinejad's ninth government and later was the chairman of the board of the Investment Bank and a member of the board of trustees of the Teachers' Savings Fund. Shortly after leaving Ahmadinejad's government, he joined the ranks of his critics. In an interview in 2016, Kazemi stated: 'If we pay attention, we see that he (Ahmadinejad) has never spoken about sedition and does not do so because he himself was the cause of the 2009 sedition.' Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the spokesperson for the judiciary, also stated on Sunday, November 20, without mentioning Kazemi's name, that two former bank managers have been arrested. The 'Ensaf News' website also reported that Ali Bakhshaei and Parviz Kazemi, the former CEO and former chairman of the board of the Investment Bank, were arrested last Tuesday. According to this report, they were 'arrested by order of the first branch of the monetary and banking prosecution of district 36 and sent to prison.' This website also noted that while the Telegram channel of Ahmadinejad's supporters confirmed this matter, his wife denied it in an interview with Ensaf News. Kazemi's arrest comes at a time when Hamid Baghaei and Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, two senior managers of Ahmadinejad's government, are also in prison on various charges, including 'economic corruption.' Ali Akbar Javanfekr, an advisor to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has also been sentenced to two years in prison for 'insulting officials' and 'spreading falsehoods.' Javanfekr, who also served as the CEO of the Islamic Republic News Agency, was sentenced to six months in prison in July 2012 for publishing 'materials contrary to Islamic principles' in the 'Khatoun' magazine, and another six months for publishing materials and images 'against public decency' in this magazine. Senior officials from Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's presidency are being arrested for political and economic reasons, despite him and his supporters labeling his administrations as 'clean.'