Ejei: Ahmadinejad's Complaint Against Jahangiri Has Been Referred to Investigation

Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the spokesperson of Iran's judiciary, announced the registration and referral of former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's complaint against current First Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri to investigation. According to the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA), Ejei stated on Tuesday, August 2, that the complaint is 'in the stage of judicial proceedings.' The spokesperson and the Deputy Chief of the Judiciary also mentioned that they are currently 'unable to disclose details of the accusations.' Adel Heydari, Ahmadinejad's lawyer, reported on August 4 that his client has filed a complaint against Jahangiri for 'defamation and spreading falsehoods.' Jahangiri's office immediately responded that he 'welcomes' Ahmadinejad's complaint. Over the past two years, Jahangiri has leveled numerous financial and economic accusations against Ahmadinejad's government and its affiliates. On August 2, Jahangiri once again accused Ahmadinejad's administration of 'corruption,' stating that he 'squandered the country's resources.' According to Mehr News Agency, Jahangiri added, 'At one time, a contract was signed to allocate $2.7 billion of the country's oil to a certain individual, and now instead of apologizing to the nation, he is demanding compensation, which is unprecedented in Iran's history.' The First Vice President indicated that 'this is a painful issue, and I have not yet said many things,' adding that 'decisions made during the sanctions led to opportunists taking action, and some of this money is still in their hands.' It appears that Jahangiri's reference is to Babak Zanjani, who has spent more than two years in prison. The spokesperson of the judiciary, in his Tuesday press conference, discussed the 'funds' received by Zanjani and the 'amounts he must return for the sale of oil shipments,' stating that 'according to the investigator's comments, since he has not been honest, it is unclear what he has done with this money.' Ejei added that Zanjani claimed 'he has money in certain banks,' prompting delegations to visit the two banks he mentioned, but it was found that he does not have such accounts. The spokesperson noted that 'the judiciary is working through the banking system and the Ministry of Intelligence to trace this money,' adding that Zanjani 'still claims he intended no wrongdoing but wanted to serve, and recently wrote a letter stating that this happened due to sanctions and that if he were to manage, he could return this money.' Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei also announced that the first session of Zanjani's trial will be held on October 3. The spokesperson also mentioned that the first trial for those accused of attacking Ali Motahari will be held on Wednesday, August 3. Ali Motahari, a representative from Tehran in the Islamic Consultative Assembly, was assaulted by plainclothes forces at the Shiraz airport on March 9, 2015, while traveling to give a speech at Shiraz University and was forced to return to Tehran. Ejei also reported that the court's ruling regarding former Tehran prosecutor Saeed Mortazavi will be issued 'within the next seven or eight days,' and he denied the arrest or summons of Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, former First Vice President. The Deputy Chief of the Judiciary also emphasized that the ruling against Mehdi Hashemi Rafsanjani has been 'finalized' and expressed 'hope' that this ruling will be 'executed sooner.' Hashemi was sentenced in the initial court to a total of 15 years in prison for embezzlement, bribery, and security crimes, but the appeals court increased these sentences to a total of 25 years, although according to Islamic Penal Code, only the most severe punishment will be executed, which is the 10 years for embezzlement.