Arrest of 20 Mid-Level Managers from Ahmadinejad's Government Due to Financial Misconduct

Mahmoud Alavi, Iran's Minister of Intelligence, has announced the arrest of "20 mid-level managers" from Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's government in connection with a "financial misconduct case." In an interview with the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) published on Tuesday, December 8, he added that "these misconducts relate to the years 2010 to the end of 2012, and we became aware of these misconducts late last year and discovered them." The Minister stated that his ministry became aware of this issue in late 2013, "which continued and we discovered it and gained intelligence oversight on it, and the individuals involved were identified." Alavi also mentioned that currently "only three out of the 20 arrested individuals remain in custody, but 30 others have been invited for interviews to understand their roles and the extent of their impact on the financial misconduct." The Minister further reported on the "return of the majority of what was misappropriated from public funds" and stated that "we are in the process of returning the remaining small amount." However, Alavi did not provide details about the amount of financial corruption that occurred or the organizations involved, stating that "sometimes publicizing certain matters can have a negative rather than a positive effect on the investment process and economic security." Financial misconduct and corruption have become a prominent topic in Iranian media and political discourse. In a recent example, Ali Tayebnia, the Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance, announced on December 6 the discovery of a "financial corruption" case in the country's banking network involving misconduct valued at 12 trillion tomans, stating that the suspects in this case have been arrested. Ali Larijani, the Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, also stated at a seminar titled "Enhancing Administrative Health and Combating Corruption" on Tuesday that "disarray in the country's affairs was frequently seen in the previous government, but the current government, which acknowledges this issue, must prevent further disarray and take executive actions." According to Mehr News Agency, Sadegh Larijani, the head of the judiciary, also stated at the same seminar that "corruption cannot be resolved through words and judicial action, but executive bodies must prevent corruption through strong oversight and inspections." At this seminar, a message from Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, was read, questioning "what miracle this seminar and similar events are supposed to achieve?" Khamenei added in his message: "Isn't the situation clear to you officials of the three branches? My expectation from the honorable gentlemen is that whether through seminars or not, they should make decisive and practical decisions without any considerations and implement them."