Ahmadinejad Criticizes Judiciary Again: They Fabricate Charges from a Pile of Papers

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the former President of Iran, called a video released by the judiciary against Hamid Bakai 'a disgrace' and stated that this branch has 'completely deviated from the path of justice.' In a video message published on Sunday, April 5, on the 'Dolat Bahar' website, Ahmadinejad emphasized that the judiciary is 'at the service of the demands and interests of officials.' He reiterated that the ruling issued against Hamid Bakai was 'pre-determined' and 'political,' accusing the judiciary of having 'fabricated a pile of papers' as economic charges against Bakai, claiming there is 'not even a single document' to support them. Ahmadinejad also referred to the video released against Bakai by the judiciary's news agency, stating that the confessions of Bakai's managers shown in the film were made 'under pressure,' and they later claimed that these statements were 'implanted by security agencies.' The judiciary's news agency, Mizan, had published a video last week in which several managers under Bakai, the former head of the Cultural Heritage Organization and former Vice President, accused him of 'embezzlement' and 'collusion in government transactions.' Bakai, who was sentenced to 15 years in prison for embezzlement and misappropriation of public funds, was arrested on March 13 to serve his sentence. Supporters claim he has been on hunger strike since then. Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, Ahmadinejad's chief of staff, was also arrested two days after he burned Bakai's ruling in front of the British Embassy in Tehran. Following the arrests of these two, websites close to Ahmadinejad published two previous letters addressed to the Supreme Leader, in which he severely criticized the country's situation and called for structural reforms in various institutions, including the Guardian Council and the judiciary, the resolution of parallel institutions, the establishment of a constitutional court, and the withdrawal of armed forces from political and economic affairs. His recent letter, published before the video message, also faced critical reactions. Tokali: Ahmadinejad should not allow himself to speak of freedom. Some figures known as belonging to the principlist faction in Iran have referred to the details of the ruling issued against Bakai and Mashaei, citing their crimes as 'financial corruption.' Ahmad Tokali, a former parliament representative and current member of the Expediency Discernment Council, stated that the crimes of these two individuals are financial. He also referred to a part of Ahmadinejad's recent letter about the imprisonment of 'hundreds of women and men, solely for expressing their opinions,' saying that a person who previously had a 'hegemonic spirit' should not allow himself to speak about terms like law and freedom of expression today. In the past week, websites affiliated with Ahmadinejad have fiercely attacked Tokali and referred to evidence of his 'financial corruption.' For instance, the 'Dolat Bahar' website recently republished a letter from 2011 by Mohammad Reza Rahimi, Ahmadinejad's first vice president, regarding Tokali's 'special privileges.' According to this letter, Tokali is accused of purchasing 'three thousand square meters of land in the West Town of Tehran worth 180 million tomans at a discounted price of 23 million tomans' along with his partners in 1991, with the current value of the land being 12 billion tomans. This issue was also raised during the review of Tokali's credentials in the eighth parliament. Tokali had stated at that time that the land was assigned to an educational institution belonging to two of his friends by the order of the Supreme Leader and that 'all the assets of this institution are endowed.' The conflict between those close to Ayatollah Khamenei and Ahmadinejad escalated a few months after the Supreme Leader stated that some people 'carry out the enemy's work inside' and that 'those who have or had all the country's resources have no right to play the role of the opposition.' Ayatollah Khamenei had described Ahmadinejad's views as the closest to his own in 2009. In one of his letters to Ayatollah Khamenei, Ahmadinejad stated that there has been no freedom for 40 years.