Ejei Confirms Arrest of Individual in Presidential Advisor's Office on Charges of 'Espionage'

On Wednesday, the spokesperson for the judiciary confirmed reports regarding the arrest of an individual at the workplace of Hesameddin Ashna, an advisor to Hassan Rouhani, by the Ministry of Intelligence on charges of 'espionage', but did not provide further details about the case. He added, 'An individual may be arrested at their workplace but may not have any connection to their colleague.' The spokesperson also announced that some individuals have been summoned due to 'violations' in the presidential elections, and the Minister of Interior confirmed that several governors have been summoned in this regard. According to the state news agency IRNA, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the spokesperson and first deputy of the judiciary, stated on Wednesday, June 10, without mentioning details, that complaints have been filed against presidential candidates, their campaign offices, and their supporters. He also reported that complaints have been made against some election officials and observers, including governors and provincial governors. According to Mr. Ejei, the Guardian Council is also sending reports of 'violations' to the judiciary, and these cases will be announced in the future. Additionally, according to ISNA news agency, the spokesperson mentioned, 'Some individuals are being summoned. Their defenses are being heard, and if proven, the judiciary will address it, regardless of their position or agency.' On Wednesday, the Minister of Interior of Iran, while rejecting reports about the arrest of some governors, confirmed that several of them have been summoned without providing details. Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli emphasized that in the presidential elections, 'not even one vote has been altered.' Previously, Fars news agency reported the arrest of some education managers in Tehran due to 'electoral violations', but the education department of the city dismissed these reports as 'baseless' and denied them. Ebrahim Raisi, the presidential candidate, accused Hassan Rouhani's government of committing 'engineered violations' in the elections. Mr. Raisi and his campaign manager announced that they have submitted evidence of their alleged 'violations' to the Guardian Council and the Attorney General's Office, but they have not yet published details of their claims. Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei stated that the investigation into the case of the tenth government, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has not concluded. He mentioned in a press conference on Wednesday that the reason for the prolonged investigation is its direct referral to the court. In response to such accusations, Hassan Rouhani previously accused institutions under the Supreme Leader, including the Revolutionary Guards, Astan Quds Razavi, state media, and the judiciary, of interfering in the elections in favor of Mr. Raisi. The Guardian Council on Tuesday, June 9, while confirming the results of the presidential elections, also reported some 'violations' and called for a 'decisive, precise, swift, and fair' investigation by the judiciary into these violations. The council also published a list of 12 of its claimed 'violations'. The Guardian Council did not specify in its statement where these 'violations' occurred and to what extent. Supporters of Mr. Raisi have continuously accused the Ministry of Interior since Friday, May 29, of attempting to influence the elections through actions such as not sending ballot papers to polling stations where this candidate had a higher chance of winning. However, Ministry officials announced that the necessary ballot papers were sent to areas that had a shortage. Meanwhile, Hassan Rouhani has also implicitly accused the Guardian Council of preventing his votes from reaching 28 million by agreeing late to register national IDs instead of names. In response to these statements, the spokesperson for the Guardian Council attributed the shortcomings to the Ministry of Interior, stating that they had given Hassan Rouhani a 'false report'. Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei reiterated that the investigation into the case of the tenth government, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has not concluded. He stated on Wednesday that the reason for the prolonged investigation is its direct referral to the court.