Arrest of a 'Major Bank Debtor'

The newspaper Javan, close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, refers to Alireza Zibahalat Monfared as the 'right hand of Babak Zanjani' and reports that 'according to Masoud Rezvani, head of Interpol of the Law Enforcement Force, an individual named Alireza Zibahalat Monfared, a partner of Babak Zanjani, has been arrested and handed over to Iran.' This newspaper explicitly links the murder of an Iranian businessman in Malaysia to the oil corruption case in the previous government, stating: 'On July 29, 2013, a few months before Zanjani's arrest, a suspicious murder occurred in Malaysia. A 75-year-old businessman named Hossein Ahmadnejadi, with Iranian-Bahraini nationality, was shot dead in a parking lot. The murder took place in Kuala Lumpur and was quickly reported, except in Iran.' Javan emphasizes that 'the deceased was the one who purchased the FIB Bank for Babak Zanjani for $4 million,' stating: 'The person who was the signatory and practically the facilitator of this transaction was none other than Alireza Zibahalat Monfared, who played a key role in transferring money.' The newspaper notes that 'to understand the significance of this arrest, it must be said that all of Babak Zanjani's dealings were conducted with FIB Bank.' The newspaper also considers the arrest of another suspect in financial corruption in Tehran, referred to by the initial 'D' and labeled as a 'major bank debtor,' to be significant, stating: 'Previously, the Tehran prosecutor explicitly stated in a meeting with bank security and supervisory officials that the banking network is involved in most corruption cases, and in line with these statements, economic experts believe that banks are culpable in the formation of corrupt individuals and major bank debtors, and in every economic corruption, banks are involved, and a plan must be devised to cleanse the banking system.' Ahmad Mazani, a representative of Tehran in the Islamic Consultative Assembly, told the newspaper Etemad that: 'On the evening of January 9, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani suffered a stroke in the swimming pool of the Saadabad complex,' occurring while he was swimming alone in the pool and all his guards were outside the pool area. This representative, a member of the Hope faction in the tenth parliament, stated that 'I heard from reliable sources that the incident that happened to Mr. Hashemi was at his workplace,' and because 'the Expediency Discernment Council has an office in the Saadabad complex where he would be stationed two days a week and hold meetings there. This decision was made so that given his age, he could have some rest. In the same building, which belongs to the council, arrangements were made for him. For using the sports facilities, as I have been told, he always went alone to exercise. When swimming, everyone was asked to leave the pool.' Ahmad Mazani about January 9, 2017, stated: 'That day, he went into the pool in the same manner. He had said he would come out close to the call to prayer to prepare for the evening prayer. All his guards were also outside the pool waiting for him to come out at the usual time. However, his guards noticed a delay when they checked and found that the incident that should not have happened had occurred. Unfortunately, he had suffered a stroke while everyone thought he should be in the water swimming as usual.' The newspaper Etemad also quotes Ahmad Mazani stating: 'This incident and his old age caused this event.' The newspaper Noavaran reports on a memorial ceremony for Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani held on Sunday with a speech by Ali Akbar Nategh Nouri. This newspaper quotes the speaker of the ceremony saying: 'Hashemi was not an opposition figure; he was a pillar of Iran.' The newspaper Shargh, in its front page on Tuesday, reported the 'arrest of a co-conspirator of Babak Zanjani' in the country of 'Dominica,' stating: 'A month and a half after the death penalty for Babak Zanjani, the primary suspect in the oil corruption case, was confirmed by the Supreme Court, the head of Interpol of the Law Enforcement Force announced that early Sunday morning, another key figure in this case was identified and arrested and handed over to judicial authorities.' According to this newspaper, this suspect in the previous government's oil corruption case is named Alireza Zibahalat Monfared and 'the evidence and statements presented in court show that he played a significant role in the affairs and dealings of Babak Zanjani.' Shargh notes that Babak Zanjani's lawyer, Rasoul Kouhpayehzadeh, expressed happiness over the arrest of his client's accomplice, stating that 'Zanjani's fate is tied to the arrested individual.' This newspaper emphasizes that 'behind the arrest of Alireza Zibahalat Monfared, the government and especially the Ministry of Oil will be happier than Babak Zanjani's lawyer, as they may be able to revive Zanjani's $3.5 billion debt through him.' Meanwhile, the newspaper Arman reported that Hossein Najat, deputy of the Intelligence Organization of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, on Sunday, during a visit to the exhibition of 'Intelligence Capabilities of the Center for Combating Economic Organized Crimes of the Intelligence Organization of the IRGC,' regarding 'the rumors about the involvement of some members of this organization in economic corruption and their arrests,' stated: 'This issue is false and a fabrication by some enemy-affiliated media' and 'the lies of several well-known media in recent days are an attempt by elements linked to the arrested suspects to prevent the judicial process.' The deputy commander of the Intelligence Organization of the IRGC also stated: 'In the coming days, important news regarding the crackdown on large and corrupt economic gangs and networks linked to foreign services will be communicated to the public.' The newspaper Arman, referring to the news that Najat mentioned would be released soon, wrote that Mohammad Jahromi, Minister of Labor and Social Affairs in Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's first cabinet, stated: 'The judiciary has not yet reached various aspects of the corruption in Babak Zanjani's case.' Jahromi also stated: 'I believe we must see who made Babak Zanjani Babak Zanjani, saying: who allowed him to have two billion euros at his disposal? Can you buy oil right now? Until you get a bank guarantee, until they take cash from you, oil is not given to anyone, and it still is not.' The newspaper Shahrvand reported an increase in public concern regarding the transmission of parasitic signals in various cities and quoted the head of the Radiation Health Department of the Ministry of Health stating: 'Universities should provide scientific reports on parasitic signals.' Zahra Jafarzadeh, a reporter for Shahrvand, noted that 'everyone now knows about parasitic signals, waves that have been intertwined with the lifestyle of Iranians for years,' writing: 'Once they say it is harmful, cancer-causing, causes miscarriages, and headaches, and... another time they say their harmfulness has not been proven, they are 'probably cancer-causing' but not certainly. People still do not know what the real story of these parasitic signals is. Their lives, their lives, and their children are safe, or not.' Ali Gourani, head of the Radiation Health Department of the Ministry of Health, told this newspaper: 'There is no credible scientific evidence that parasitic signals are cancer-causing,' but 'we announce in the media, it will reach the universities anyway, we ask all universities that if they have solid evidence regarding the harmfulness of parasitic signals or their high levels, to provide it to us. After all, universities like Science and Industry, Sharif University of Technology, and Amir Kabir have good and precise facilities and equipment, we really expect these universities to conduct research in this area and ask doctoral and master's students to investigate this matter. It is really not hard work for these universities.' This health official, however, stated: 'We should not worry the public too much about this, although during the day many people contact us and constantly ask about the harmfulness of these rays; some even ask their questions while crying. People are really worried about this.' According to Shahrvand, Ali Pourani, in response to whether 'the Ministry of Health has conducted any research on this matter,' said: 'No, we have not conducted any investigation in this area. There is no need, as the standards have been announced worldwide, and it is measured based on that.' The newspaper Tehadil reported with the headline 'Gender Segregation of Business in the Global Scale' that the World Bank 'in its 2017 Doing Business report, for the first time included gender as a component in three main indicators including starting a business, registering ownership, and enforcing contracts; an event that, given the internal conditions, raises concerns about Iran's declining rank in future World Bank reports.' According to this newspaper, the World Bank's Doing Business report 2017 was published about two months ago, with its slogan being 'Equal Opportunity for All.' It was because of this slogan that the World Bank included new components in its report and tested the chances of 190 countries not only in previous ease of doing business indicators but also in new components such as gender and labor market conditions. The newspaper Tehadil noted that 'these components were pilot in the 2017 ranking and were not included in the rankings, but will be measured in future World Bank reports,' stating that Iran's rank in the 2017 World Bank report fell by three places to 120, and the introduction of new components alongside Iran's current rank has made the country's business conditions in the global mirror more sensitive.' This newspaper reminded that 'the economic participation rate of women in Iran has remained around 12 percent for years, and in the labor market, realities such as gender prioritization, unequal wages, and job opportunities are fully palpable and widespread.'