Ejei Accuses Ahmadinejad of 'Lies and Bravado' and Compares Him to 'Thugs'

The spokesperson of Iran's judiciary has described the statements made by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the former president of Iran, regarding the judiciary as containing 'dozens of lies, insults, and bravado.' He also likened Ahmadinejad to a 'thug' who had 'fallen out of sight for a while' and resorts to 'cursing' to attract attention. According to Tasnim news agency, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, on Tuesday, December 7, in a press conference with journalists, reacted to Ahmadinejad's remarks by saying that the language of some individuals has become 'accustomed to lying' and 'degenerated.' He emphasized that the former president sees himself 'far above everything, everyone, and the law' due to his 'selfishness,' 'self-aggrandizement,' and 'arrogance.' In response to a journalist's question about whether the judiciary would address Ahmadinejad's harsh attacks on the head of the judiciary and his brothers, he said, 'This topic and this question remind me of a story.' The judiciary spokesperson added: 'A thug had fallen out of sight for a while and was very distressed that no one was paying attention to him. One day, he came to the city square and started shouting and cursing, continuing this behavior like someone who had a complex.' The first deputy of the judiciary of Iran added: 'People stopped to see why he was doing this and what he was saying. At that time, a wise man was passing by, and his companions told him to come and see what this person was saying. The wise man told his companions: he is doing all this just to be seen, and if we stop and pay attention to him, he will achieve his desired goal.' Mohseni Ejei also posed the question: 'Has the judiciary acted poorly in recent years? Because some of your individuals have been prosecuted?' On December 2, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in a video interview, accused the judiciary of 'violating the constitution' and stated that 'if we were to have a judicial dictatorship, we would not have had a revolution.' He claimed that during a National Security Council meeting regarding Sattar Beheshti, 'I almost had a fight with the head of the judiciary, I shouted at them! I said you committed a crime.' Ahmadinejad also criticized the formation of a new case against Hamid Baghaei and other close associates for criticizing judiciary officials. In recent days, Ahmadinejad and his associates have used terms such as 'oppressor,' 'dictator,' and 'deviant' regarding judiciary officials. Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, the Attorney General, described Ahmadinejad's presidency, especially the second four years of his government, as 'a collection of lawlessness' and accused Ahmadinejad of 'lying.' Hamid Baghaei, Ahmadinejad's executive assistant, also reacted to the Attorney General's statements, calling for judiciary officials to resign for not adhering to 'law, religion, and ethics.' While conservative figures have supported the judiciary against Ahmadinejad, some reformist figures have questioned why he remained silent during his presidency regarding the judiciary's actions and the 2009 crackdowns. Baghaei accused several officials of 'receiving coins.' He stated that during Ahmadinejad's presidency, the presidency awarded coins to the first deputy and spokesperson of the judiciary, the commander of the Revolutionary Guards, the head of the armed forces, the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, and two vice presidents of the parliament for participating in meetings related to Western sanctions. In a video released, Baghaei claimed that in 2012, during the 'peak of Western sanctions' against Iran, five coins were awarded to participants in meetings related to countering sanctions at the suggestion of Hassan Firouzabadi, the head of the armed forces, and under the president's order. Ebrahim Raisi, the then-first deputy of the judiciary, called Baghaei's statements 'absolute lies.' Subsequently, Baghaei published a document from the presidency indicating that a coin had been awarded to several individuals. According to him, these individuals included: Mohammad Ali Jafari, the commander of the Revolutionary Guards, Hassan Firouzabadi, the head of the armed forces, Ebrahim Raisi, the first deputy and Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the spokesperson of the judiciary, Saeed Jalili, the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, Abadollah Abdollahi, the commander of the Khatam al-Anbiya headquarters of the Revolutionary Guards, Mohammad Reza Bahonar and Mohammad Hassan Abutorabi, two vice presidents of the parliament, and Gholamreza Mesbahi Moghadam, the head of the economic commission of the parliament. Baghaei had previously stated that five coins were awarded to each of these officials, but according to this letter, they were awarded one coin each. Meanwhile, Habibollah Khorasani, the former accountant of the presidency, stated that these coins were 'brought to the meeting place' by the presidency's agent and were delivered to these officials in the presence of the then-president and several ministers present at the meeting. Baghaei's statements came after recent conflicts between Ahmadinejad's associates and judiciary officials. The conflict between Ahmadinejad and his associates with institutions such as the judiciary and the Intelligence Organization of the Revolutionary Guards has intensified following the formation of Baghaei's court and the interrogation of Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, Ahmadinejad's chief of staff during his presidency.