Director of Foreign Nationals in Iranshahr Arrested by the IRGC

Mohammad Marzieh, the public and revolutionary prosecutor of Sistan and Baluchestan, stated on Tuesday, November 25, that the director of foreign nationals and immigrants in Iranshahr has been arrested by the Intelligence Organization of the IRGC. According to Fars News Agency, Marzieh said, "The director of foreign nationals in Iranshahr has been detained by the Intelligence Organization of the IRGC in Sistan and Baluchestan." Regarding the accusations against this Ministry of Interior official, he mentioned, "The director of foreign nationals in Iranshahr was demanding money in exchange for issuing permits for foreign nationals, and his case is currently under investigation." The foreign nationals office is considered a subsidiary of the Ministry of Interior. While Marzieh announced the arrest of the director of foreign nationals in Iranshahr, he also reported the previous day on the arrest of the deputy of the Chabahar Free Trade Industrial Zone and five others on charges of "embezzlement." According to the official website of the Sistan and Baluchestan prosecutor's office, these individuals were arrested last week with the "coordination of judicial authorities." Marzieh described the charges against the detainees as "embezzlement," "bribery," and "land grabbing," adding that their case is in the process of being "fully compiled." The public and revolutionary prosecutor of Zahedan postponed further comments on this matter to the coming days. In July of this year, the Zahedan prosecutor also reported the arrest of the director of Chabahar Customs on charges of "embezzlement," "bribery," and "smuggling goods," stating that the police were also involved in some of these violations. He added, "The main suspect in the Chabahar Customs case is the director of customs in that area, who was released on heavy bail after six months of temporary detention at one point and two months of temporary detention at another point." Mohammad Marzieh also reported the identification and seizure of all the assets of this suspect, stating, "There is another individual as a suspect in this case who will also be arrested after the documentation is completed." The announcement of the arrest of six individuals related to the Chabahar financial corruption case comes at a time when local officials have reported the arrest of six members of the city council of "Marand" in East Azerbaijan province. In the "financial corruption" case of the Marand municipality, as reported by media, 20 individuals have been arrested so far. Iranian news agencies on Tuesday (November 25) also reported the arrest of two members of the city council in "Izeh" in Khuzestan province. IRNA and Fars News Agency stated that the charges against these individuals have not been disclosed, and their cases are being pursued by judicial authorities. Corruption in the Islamic Republic has become, as some parliamentary representatives have stated, "systematic," and some supervisory bodies have also been affected to some extent.