Corruption Infiltrates 'All Ministries'; Former Governor Arrested on Bribery Charges

The head of the Economic Corruption Combat Headquarters in the Iranian Parliament states that corruption exists in all ministries of Iran. Simultaneously, news has emerged about the arrest of the head of the Industry and Mining Organization in North Khorasan on charges of embezzlement and a former governor on bribery charges. Eshaq Jahangiri, the First Vice President of Iran, previously announced that corruption in the Islamic Republic has 'grown and reached some high-ranking officials in the country.' He believes that 'during the period when corruption could and should have been stopped, it was not, and some officials were contaminated.' Now, Amir Khoshgesta, the head of the Economic Corruption Combat Headquarters in Parliament, has addressed the ministers of Hassan Rouhani's government, stating that 'they must know that today there is corruption in all ministries, and the fight against corruption must begin from the highest level, namely the ministries.' This representative emphasized the importance of 'anti-corruption' in Iran, stating that ministers must recognize that 'corruption exists in their ministries in every way, as strong rents prevail in the country from customs to banks.' He further urged ministers to start anti-corruption efforts within their management and to stand 'firmly against the gangs and terrifying economic networks that plunder public funds.' As a member of the Article 90 Commission of Parliament, he stated that in the fight against corruption, 'no leniency should be shown to any inclination,' warning that if ministries do not heed Parliament's warnings, he will 'make the public aware by providing documents and evidence to the media.' Khoshgesta did not mention any specific ministry or provide further details. Ahmad Tavakoli, a former parliament member, first referred to the 'systematic' nature of corruption in the Islamic Republic, claiming that many children of senior officials are corrupt. Meanwhile, Sadegh Larijani, the head of the judiciary, and Ali Larijani, the head of Parliament, have denied this issue. For years, numerous reports of corruption among official representatives, municipal council members, and employees of various ministries, especially municipalities, have emerged in Iran. In this context, the public prosecutor and revolutionary prosecutor of North Khorasan Province reported on Thursday the arrest of the head of the Industry and Mining Organization in the province on charges of 'embezzlement.' On the same day, on the other side of Iran, the public prosecutor and revolutionary prosecutor of Sistan and Baluchestan Province stated that 'the former governor of Chabahar has been arrested on bribery charges.' According to Moslem Mohammadyaran, the head of the Industry and Mining Organization of North Khorasan Province, he is in temporary detention based on reports from the inspection organization and on charges of 'embezzlement and misappropriation and waste of public property.' In response to widespread administrative and economic corruption in Iran, the leader of the Islamic Republic has also stated that 'the fight against oppression and corruption among government officials must be more severe and serious than other cases, and all officials and managers of the country must pay attention to this issue.' Meanwhile, Gholamali Jafarzadeh Imanabadi, a member of Parliament, claims that corruption has spread so widely within Iran's structure that it is unlikely that the law can combat it, and it would be good for the fight against corruption to begin from the 'office' of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic. Abolfazl Ghadiani, a senior member of the Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization, also criticized the 'unprecedented deep and widespread corruption in contemporary Iranian history, the open and systematic plundering of public assets by affiliates of the political system,' stating that the 'effective solution' to Iran's problems lies not in 'temporary treatments and band-aids on the rotten pillars of the ruling system, but in breaking the hegemony and dominance of despotism and fundamentally reforming the legal structure that supports despotism.' According to Ghadiani, Ayatollah Khamenei 'proclaims justice but gives large rents to his close associates to ensure their loyalty, and... the ineffective and corrupt judicial system arising from religious despotism makes theft, embezzlement, and rent-seeking permissible, neglecting productive economic work.' In the latest report from Transparency International, Iran ranks 131st out of 178 countries surveyed in terms of corruption levels. Transparency International has assessed the Islamic Republic as significantly more corrupt than some regional countries, with Iran being 113 places more corrupt than the UAE, 56 places more corrupt than Turkey, and 23 places more corrupt than Egypt.