Another Economic Case Ends with Death Sentence

The Mizan news agency, affiliated with Iran's judiciary, has reported that the Revolutionary Court of Karaj has issued a death sentence for the first defendant in a 1000 billion tomans economic case known as 'Jahangir' after reviewing the charges against 38 individuals. On Sunday, January 1, the news agency quoted the head of the third branch of the Revolutionary Court of Karaj, which is examining this economic case, stating that in addition to the first defendant known as Jahangir, who received the death penalty, five other defendants were sentenced to life imprisonment. A total of 841 years of imprisonment has been considered for the other defendants in this 1000 billion tomans case. According to the report, more than 30 charges, including corruption on earth, network fraud, and forgery of official documents, were examined against the defendants, and after hearing the statements of the plaintiffs and the defenses of the defendants, the court issued its ruling on December 31. However, Rasoul Kermpour, the head of the branch examining this case, clarified that the rulings issued in this case are 'provisional and subject to appeal in the Supreme Court.' Earlier in October of this year, the Tasnim news agency quoted Mr. Kermpour as saying that there are more than 150 plaintiffs and 39 defendants in this case, of which five main defendants are imprisoned, while the other defendants are free under legal conditions. However, Mizan news agency reported on Saturday, citing the same judicial authority, that there are 180 plaintiffs and 38 defendants in this case. This judiciary-affiliated news agency had previously reported in April 2015, quoting the prosecutor of Karaj, that the main defendant in the case, who 'committed fraud through the establishment of a 30-person network, infiltrated government offices, forged official documents, paid bribes, and obtained large loans from banks without providing valid documents,' was arrested and imprisoned in July 2013. At that time, the prosecutor of Karaj announced that the amount of fraud by the main defendant from the banks was 600 billion rials and promised that the first trial session for this individual would be held in May 2015. Nevertheless, the Tasnim news agency reported in October of this year that hearings for this case began on October 1, 2016, and would continue until early November. In Iran, several major economic cases have so far resulted in death sentences for one or two main defendants, the latest being the case of Babak Zanjani, whose death sentence has reportedly been confirmed by the Supreme Court. Although Mr. Zanjani's lawyer stated less than 10 days ago that this sentence had not yet been officially communicated to him, he confirmed that Babak Zanjani, who was tried for forming an organized network disrupting the country's economic system, received a death sentence along with two other defendants in this case, but the Supreme Court annulled the death sentences for the second and third defendants. Another well-known economic case that ended with a death sentence was the case referred to as the 3000 billion tomans corruption or embezzlement case, where the first defendant, Meh-Afarid Amir-Khosravi, along with three others, was sentenced to death, and his execution was carried out on May 24, 2014. Prior to that, the execution of Fazel Khodadad, the main defendant in the 123 billion tomans embezzlement case from Bank Saderat in the 1990s, also led to a death sentence for him, and he was ultimately executed in December 1995. Under Islamic Penal Code, corruption on earth is one of the charges that can lead to a death sentence, and this charge has been considered for most defendants in economic disruption cases.