Corruption in the Islamic Republic; Tehran Prosecutor Reports Arrest of Several Managers from the Natural Resources Organization

According to the Tehran prosecutor, several managers from the 'Natural Resources and Watershed Management' department in Tehran have been arrested on charges of 'bribery.' Ali Salehi stated that these managers engaged in methods such as geometric modifications to declare certain national lands as exceptions and received bribes in return. He mentioned that in one case, an 11-hectare property in the 'Vardij' area of Tehran province was issued a 'declaration of exceptions.' The issuance of exceptions for national lands allows for the sale of these lands. According to current regulations, the only method for identifying national lands is based on the opinion of the Article 56 Commission of Natural Resources. If a piece of land is classified as national under this article, it is removed from individual ownership and becomes state property. In this context, 'national lands' are those owned by the government, the Natural Resources and Environment Organization, located either inside or outside cities. The discovery of corruption in Tehran's natural resources sector further confirms the systemic nature of corruption within the Islamic Republic, especially as the recent 'tea corruption' scandal worth $3.7 billion has come to light. An examination of claims regarding Iran's economic growth amid rising inflation and widespread corruption was discussed with Jamshid Asadi. Aftershocks of the 'Debash' corruption; media reports: former Minister of Agriculture is key to the corruption of livestock and tea inputs. The internal dispute over corruption continues; the head of the judiciary rejected the executive branch's claims.