Ahmadinejad: Senior Judiciary Officials are Primary Accused of Corruption

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the former president of Iran, reacted to the execution of a 15-year prison sentence for Hamid Bakayi, his former deputy, by addressing a letter to the people of Iran, labeling senior judiciary officials as "primary accused of corruption." This letter was published on Wednesday, March 14, one day after Bakayi was introduced to prison, on the "Dolat Bahar" website. In it, Ahmadinejad launches severe attacks on the judiciary, calling its head, Sadeq Larijani, "legally unqualified" and stating that "the independence of judges has effectively been eliminated" under his oversight. He wrote: "Senior officials of that [judicial] apparatus, with a political perspective, blatantly violate all laws and even regulations they themselves have established, trampling on judicial integrity and, above all, human dignity. While they themselves are primary accused of corruption, they falsely claim to fight against corruption." According to Ahmadinejad, the Iranian judiciary is "in the worst condition in its history," and its officials "easily confront anyone they deem a nuisance to their illegitimate interests, and there is no authority for the people to complain about their oppression." Hamid Bakayi, facing financial charges during his tenure in Ahmadinejad's government, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison, a fine of 43 billion tomans, and lashes. His charges include unauthorized appropriation, embezzlement, and collusion in government transactions. However, Ahmadinejad has rejected all these accusations, calling Bakayi's trial "preordained" and stating that "the sentence had been issued beforehand." He added, "The white-collar criminals of corruption insist on using their illegitimate judicial power, along with military, security, and media power, to accuse the clean governments of the ninth and tenth administrations in the eyes of the people." Ahmadinejad further extends his criticisms beyond the judiciary, addressing other government bodies as well. He wrote: "The ruling elements in government agencies have clearly separated from the path of the nation and, instead of serving and defending the rights of the people and striving for the country's progress, are seeking to develop and consolidate their dominance over the country, the people, and the nation's wealth resources. In this matter, left and right, and all factions are united, complicit, and aligned." At the end of this letter, he addressed the Twelfth Imam of Shia Muslims, stating: "You witness that in a system that should be a manifestation of justice, purity, and kindness, there is no authority for grievance and complaint against the oppression of government agencies against the people. Senior officials are united, and they have forgotten you, the people, and God, and are unilaterally engaged in wealth accumulation and dirty power games." Recently, Ahmadinejad wrote a letter to Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, demanding the dismissal of the head of the judiciary and the "immediate and free elections" in the country without interference from "security institutions" and "engineering by the Guardian Council." He stated that the office of the Supreme Leader should also be subject to reforms.