Court Ruling for Former Minister's Daughter on Drug Hoarding Charges

According to reports, a ruling against a minister from the eleventh government is expected next week on charges of "hoarding" drugs. The Mehr News Agency reported on Tuesday, August 29, that "the ruling on the case of the daughter of one of the ministers of the eleventh government will be issued next week." Previously, some Iranian media had reported the discovery of a drug warehouse by the Organization for the Protection of Consumer Rights, stating that this warehouse belonged to a drug distribution company managed by Shabnam Nematizadeh, daughter of Mohammad Reza Nematizadeh, the Minister of Industry, Mine, and Trade in Hassan Rouhani's first government. The Shargh newspaper had previously reported that the value of the drugs found in the warehouse owned by the former minister's daughter was approximately six billion tomans. Yasser Raigani, spokesperson for the Organization for the Protection of Consumer Rights, stated that "a large number of these drugs were expired" but "were kept with the intention of being reintroduced to the market." However, Shabnam Nematizadeh denied these accusations in an interview with Shargh, claiming that she had informed the Ministry of Health about the list of expired drugs. According to Ms. Nematizadeh, expired drugs and waste must be stored in a separate warehouse from other drugs and sent to the Ministry of Health for destruction, which "has its own specific procedures." She also denied reports suggesting that she had prior knowledge of the list of "urgent" drugs before they were publicly announced. "Urgent" drugs refer to those needed by special patients and cancer patients that must be distributed quickly. Shabnam Nematizadeh also told Shargh that the Ministry of Health announces the list of drug shortages in the country, and companies submit their bids like a tender, with the company offering the lowest price winning. The Shargh newspaper also reported on a debt of 350 billion tomans owed by Ms. Nematizadeh's company to the Shafa pharmaceutical group, affiliated with the National Bank and other pharmaceutical companies. However, she denied this report, stating that "our debt is much less than this amount." Previously, the economic activities of the children of some Islamic Republic officials had been raised, including the controversial news of illegal clothing imports by Zahra Ahmadi Danesh Ashteyani, the daughter of the Minister of Education in Hassan Rouhani's first government, during the twelfth presidential election campaign. Ultimately, the secretary of the commission for combating smuggling of goods and currency in Tehran province announced the acquittal of Ms. Ahmadi Danesh Ashteyani. The Fars News Agency reported on Tuesday that a public trial for one of the "economic corruptors" named "H.B.D" is scheduled for September 3, accused of "corruption on earth through disruption of the country's economic system." This news agency reported the charges against this individual as "a bank debt of two trillion tomans," "smuggling 25 pieces of gold ingots," and "smuggling 91 kilograms of gold" in previous years. The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic agreed on August 20 to the proposal of the head of the judiciary to establish a special court with three revolutionary court judges to address the cases of "economic corruptors." Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's order has elicited reactions from some political activists. Gholamreza Mesbahi Moghadam, a member of the Expediency Discernment Council, called for the court to be "public for economic disruptors" and added that this matter "is the public's right, and it is necessary to disclose the names of the accused to the people." Prior to this, Ali Motahari, deputy speaker of the Iranian parliament, criticized the head of the judiciary's letter on August 22, stating that this branch "could have achieved its request through a bill or an urgent proposal and should not have done anything that bypassed the parliament." According to the Supreme Leader's order, these courts are formalized with the presence of two members and "the rulings issued, except for death sentences, are final and enforceable" and "death sentences can be appealed within a maximum of 10 days in the Supreme Court." Iran's economy has faced severe turbulence and tensions in recent months following Donald Trump's final decision to withdraw from the JCPOA. The rial has significantly lost its value against the dollar, the prices of gold and other goods have risen, and a wave of protests has emerged in various cities across Iran. The Supreme Leader and his close associates attribute the country's economic problems not to U.S. sanctions but rather to the "weak" performance of the government and, as they claim, the "exploitation by opportunistic individuals." Ahmad Iraqchi, the currency deputy of the Central Bank of Iran, is among those who have been arrested in recent weeks.