Ali Larijani: Corruption in the Islamic Republic is not Systematic

Ali Larijani, the Speaker of the Parliament, while acknowledging the existence of "corruption" in the administrative system, stated that "corruption" in the Islamic Republic is neither "systematic" nor "organized." Mr. Larijani made this remark in an interview published on Sunday (March 19) on the website of the Jam-e Jam newspaper. He mentioned that the "claim" made by some conservatives {Ahmad Tavakoli} regarding the existence of "systematic corruption" needs to be "further" investigated and that "the claim in this regard is not sufficient." Ahmad Tavakoli, a former member of Parliament, warned in 2013 that the Iranian government institutions had reached a stage of "systematic corruption" and that "the institutions responsible for combating corruption have themselves become afflicted by various degrees of corruption." In response to this statement after several years, Ali Larijani said, "Systematic corruption means that all elements of power and the social structure of the country are afflicted by organized corruption, and we do not see this phenomenon in the country." The Speaker also stated that "there may be various corruptions in the administrative system, but it is not organized." He identified one of the methods to combat "corruption" in Iran as "transparency," eliminating "administrative complexities," and achieving "e-government." According to Transparency International, Iran ranked 131st among corrupt countries in 2016 with a score of 29. The score Iran received last year was two points better than in 2015 and 2014; however, the country still has a worse status compared to its neighboring countries. "Corruption," "discrimination," and "injustice," alongside unemployment and many other problems facing the Iranian people, have become points of weakness for this system, according to many officials of the Islamic Republic. For years, many former and current officials in Iran have spoken about "corruption" and "inefficiency" and warned about the "destructive" impact of these issues on the future of the Islamic ruling system in Iran, yet the volume and scope of various corruptions in this system continue to increase. Masoud Pezeshkian, the Deputy Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, stated on March 2 of this year that the problems and difficulties in Iran are the result of the actions of the officials and managers of the Islamic Republic, not America. Masoud Pezeshkian added that "poverty and unemployment, rent-seeking, bribery, and corruption in the country have arisen from our weak performance as officials, and if we had allowed everyone to express their opinions, this situation would not have existed in the country."