Central Bank Governor: We Will Prevent Dirty Money from Entering Elections

Valiollah Seif, the Governor of the Central Bank of Iran, stated that the bank is taking measures to prevent "dirty money" from entering the elections. The elections for the Islamic Consultative Assembly and the Assembly of Experts will be held on March 7. According to the IRNA news agency, Seif responded on Saturday, January 23, to a question about what actions the Central Bank has taken to prevent "dirty money" from entering the elections, saying, "The banking system of the country has advanced anti-money laundering systems, and necessary actions are being taken in this regard." Seif emphasized that "if suspicious cases regarding the entry of dirty money into the elections are observed, they will definitely be addressed and necessary follow-ups will be conducted." The issue of "dirty money" entering elections was first raised by Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, the Minister of Interior, in March 2015, who stated that part of the money related to drug trafficking "enters the political sphere and is used in the form of donations in elections and decision-making." This statement led to protests from several members of parliament, with 30 of them signing a letter requesting the Minister of Interior to be summoned to parliament for clarification regarding his remarks. Subsequently, Rahmani Fazli went to parliament on May 6, defending his statements by saying he did not mean that "dirty money" is currently entering politics, but rather intended to warn about the potential entry of such money in the elections. Meanwhile, in continuing news related to the latest actions of the Reformist Coalition Policy Council regarding the status of candidates who have been disqualified or not confirmed by the Central Supervisory Board for Elections, Elham Fakhari, the public relations officer of this council, reported on consultations with "influential individuals" in the elections. According to Tasnim news agency, Fakhari stated that the council's "legal and consultation working group," chaired by Mohsen Rahami, has prepared a comprehensive report on the status of the confirmation of reformist candidates and has been holding regular meetings with "influential individuals" in this regard, and necessary follow-ups have been made to resolve the issue. She also informed about the formulation of "strategies and policies" of the reformists in a special working group chaired by Hossein Kamali, adding that the results of this group's work will be reviewed in this week's meeting of the Supreme Policy Council of Reformists. Fakhari described the approach of the reformists and other government supporters in this year's elections as "program-oriented" and emphasized that this approach "helps the people and voters to seek their demands in the programs and vote for the lists, not necessarily for the fame of individuals." She added, "This approach will ensure that the follow-up of electoral promises, in the form of a program after the commencement of the tenth parliament, will be better and more effective." Mohammad Reza Aref, the head of the Reformist Policy Council, also emphasized on Thursday at the Congress of the Iranian Voice Party that reformists will have a "serious presence" in the elections. He expressed hope for a "fundamental reconsideration" by the Guardian Council in reviewing qualifications, stating that he has met with some members of the Guardian Council regarding this matter. Regarding the latest figures on qualifications, ILNA news agency reported on January 21, quoting Ali Pourali Motlaq, the secretary of the country's election headquarters, that the qualifications of 6,753 candidates have been rejected or "not confirmed" by the provincial supervisory boards and the central supervisory board. ISNA news agency also quoted Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, the Minister of Interior, on January 20 at a conference of governors and mayors, stating that "in the matter of confirming qualifications, we have provided the necessary reports to the Guardian Council and the Leader's office to ensure that no one's rights are violated." The Minister of Interior also mentioned that he personally met with the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic on Tuesday, providing a report and consulting with him.