Baghaei: The 3 million and 766 thousand euros mentioned in the indictment was a gift from Soleimani to Ahmadinejad

Hamid Baghaei, in his defense, stated that the 3 million and 766 thousand euros allegedly delivered to him was a 'gift' from the commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Qassem Soleimani, to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for 'social and cultural activities.' According to the text of Baghaei's defense presented in court and published on the 'Dolat Bahar' website on Sunday, March 18, Ahmadinejad had formally communicated this matter to the court in writing. Based on these defenses, former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stated in a letter to the court on January 31, 2018, that 'the mentioned currencies were delivered as a gift from General Soleimani to assist educational, cultural, and social goals,' and Soleimani had also indicated at the time of delivery that 'this amount is outside the administrative process.' Meanwhile, Baghaei wrote in his defense that 'the mentioned amounts were a matter between General Soleimani and Dr. Ahmadinejad, and the actual amount and its nature and purpose of delivery are matters between these gentlemen, and no other person (at least individuals associated with Dr. Ahmadinejad) is aware of this matter.' The former executive assistant to Ahmadinejad requested the court to summon both Ahmadinejad and Soleimani to explain this issue. Before the publication of Baghaei's defense, Ahmadinejad had requested explanations from the commander of the Quds Force regarding the 'delivery of millions of dollars' to Baghaei and had hinted that he would reveal the 'business dealings' of his government with the Quds Force. According to the Tehran prosecutor's office, Baghaei has been accused of 'embezzling' 3 million and 766 thousand euros and 590 thousand dollars from funds delivered to him by the Quds Force. The indictment states that the 3 million and 766 thousand euros were delivered to Baghaei in July 2013. It is also stated that Baghaei embezzled 590 thousand dollars from the funds delivered to him to distribute among the leaders of the countries participating in the Non-Aligned Movement summit in 2012. He has denied these accusations and stated that regarding the 3 million and 766 thousand euros, he did not hold a government position at the time the indictment claims he received the funds. Baghaei has been sentenced to 15 years in prison, a fine of 43 billion tomans, and permanent dismissal from government service due to these charges. Ramadan Sharif, the spokesman for the IRGC, previously responded to Baghaei's statements without going into details, saying: 'The court's ruling is issued based on documented, substantiated, precise, and strong evidence, and deflection and the presentation of repetitive scenarios against institutions and individuals in the country do not reduce the burden of the accused's crimes.' However, according to an audio file published by the Dolat Bahar website on Friday, Ramadan Sharif stated that the Quds Force 'had no connection with Mr. Baghaei at all.' One day before the publication of Baghaei's defense, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, Ahmadinejad's chief of staff during his presidency, who had burned Baghaei's prison sentence in front of the British embassy on Thursday, was arrested. Ahmadinejad described the method of Mashaei's arrest as 'unconstitutional' and wrote that 'security agents under the judiciary's command illegally stopped Mr. Rahim Mashaei's vehicle and arrested him without stating the reason and possible charges.' In response, the judiciary spokesman on Sunday stated regarding the reason for Mashaei's arrest: 'The law does not allow me to disclose the charges against Rahim Mashaei, but his charges are numerous and need to be addressed, and he is currently under arrest.' Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei also described Ahmadinejad's protests as 'collaboration with Israel and America,' stating: 'They want to prevent the investigation of their corruptions.' Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, had also implicitly accused the former president of 'doing the enemy's work inside' the country on December 27. Hamid Baghaei has also been sentenced to 11 years in prison, a fine of 600 million tomans, and permanent dismissal from government service for 'embezzling 300 million tomans from the Martyrs' Fund of Rajai and Bahonar.' Ahmadinejad's executive assistant has been sentenced to four years in prison and a fine of 500 million tomans for 'collusion in conducting government transactions,' with the appellate court issuing a 'deficiency correction order' and returning the case to the initial court. According to Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code, the maximum sentence of 15 years in prison will be enforced for Baghaei. Hamid Baghaei was arrested on the evening of March 13 to serve his 15-year sentence and transferred to prison.