Ejei: No one has been arrested in connection with the Plasco incident

The spokesperson for Iran's judiciary emphasized that it is the municipality's duty to eliminate hazards from buildings, stating that this organization cannot seal complexes like Plasco due to the unemployment of many individuals. According to the state news agency IRNA, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei announced on Sunday, January 22, that no one has been arrested in relation to the Plasco building incident. In response to numerous questions from reporters regarding which entity was responsible for the incident, he refrained from making a clear statement, saying that 'without investigation, one cannot comment on who is at fault.' According to Ejei, the municipality must eliminate hazards from at-risk buildings based on Clause 14 of Article 55 of the Municipalities Law. He also stated that 'one agency cannot bear the burden of all these issues' and questioned whether the municipality has the 'capability and budget' necessary for this hazard elimination. Furthermore, according to Fars news agency, the judiciary spokesperson stressed: 'Is it possible to tell three thousand employees of a building to stop working? Is such a thing feasible, or should we address the hazards of these buildings instead of sealing them and leaving people unemployed?' Ejei's remarks come as, according to Clause 14 of Article 55 of the Municipalities Law, if the municipality's orders to owners of at-risk buildings are not executed, the municipality itself will take action to eliminate the hazards and will charge the incurred costs plus 15% damages to the owners. Some media outlets close to the Tehran municipality have published images of letters indicating that the municipality requested the owners of the Plasco complex to ensure the safety of the commercial units. In contrast, some websites have reported that the last warning from the Tehran municipality was in 2014, and the municipality has taken no further action since then. Gholamreza Ansari, a member of the Tehran City Council, also stated on Saturday that the emphasis by city officials and the Ministry of Interior on issuing over ten safety warnings to the managers of the Plasco commercial tower in the past three years is 'regrettable and concerning.' He emphasized: 'Government agencies either do not issue warnings in other cases or at most issue one warning. For instance, they deal harshly with a poor street vendor without warning, and often violently. A journalist who crosses a red line is taken from the newspaper office to jail at 10 AM. A member of parliament who makes serious criticisms in the parliament is pursued for arrest at night.' Sadegh Badri, the spokesperson for the Parliament's Civil Commission, announced on Friday, January 21, that there are 'many' complexes similar to the Plasco building in Tehran and other provinces, and that many commercial complexes lack the necessary safety. He also mentioned that closing down dilapidated commercial centers has 'social repercussions' and that the existing laws regarding the municipality's authority to evacuate these complexes are 'unclear.' According to studies by the Fire Department, which ranked buildings in Tehran based on their safety and resistance to natural disasters, there are currently only '120 safe buildings' in the capital, of which two have received a grade one, and none have received an excellent grade. According to Iranian news agencies, the owner of the Plasco building is the Foundation of the Oppressed, an economic entity under the supervision of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic. Meanwhile, some websites have reported that this building was 'not insured' and that the Tehran municipality refrained from sealing it due to its ownership by the Foundation of the Oppressed. Mohammad Saeedi-Kia, the head of the Foundation of the Oppressed, stated during a visit to this building that this entity had leased all the shops and was only the owner of the 'main building.' He did not refer to the potential role of this foundation as the owner of the building in the occurrence of this incident, only promising that a new building would be constructed within two years and delivered to the 'stakeholders.' The judiciary spokesperson also did not mention the role of the owner of this building in the incident, only referring to the promise of Mohammad Saeedi-Kia for the reconstruction of this building. The occurrence of the Plasco incident has led to significant criticism of the performance of the Tehran municipality, and some social media users have called for the resignation of Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, the mayor of Tehran, using hashtags. Qalibaf's trip to Qom on the day of the incident and the lack of firefighting equipment have also been among the criticisms raised regarding the performance of the Tehran municipality. Some social media users have also stated that the Tehran municipality has taken no action regarding issues such as the evacuation of the Plasco building and its renovation, preventing the storage of diesel in the building, and preventing the use of the building's corridors as storage for clothing. In response to a question about the raid by '10 plainclothes individuals' on a building on Shariati Street and the arrest of several of its residents, the judiciary spokesperson said: 'A man said last week that he was offered 50 million to ask Mohseni Ejei a question, and I hope your question is not one of those.' According to Fars news agency, he added: 'Legal action should be taken against you; tell me who said this.' Ejei, in response to the reporter's explanation that the editor-in-chief of the newspaper provided him with this information, said: 'Next time, tell them not to say these things; I will inform the prosecutor to follow up on this issue, and if your editor-in-chief says the same as you, we will pursue who said this.' The judiciary spokesperson stated that he has no knowledge of this matter and added that 'all your statements are false; such a thing does not exist.' Ejei, in a press conference on Sunday, responded to a question by saying that the connection between Rasoul Danialzadeh and Hossein Fereydoun is 'completely evident,' but the nature of this connection and their actions is unclear, and we must wait for the results of the investigation into this case. He added: 'I personally agree and have agreed that some defendants should be tried publicly, and the media should also be allowed to publish photos, accusations, and details of the court.' According to reports from some news websites in Iran, Rasoul Danialzadeh, a bank debtor, was arrested on January 15. Some principlist members of parliament have accused Hossein Fereydoun, the brother of Hassan Rouhani, of having connections with Danialzadeh. In this regard, Hossein Ali Hajideligani, a representative from Shahin Shahr in parliament, stated on Saturday to Fars news agency that Danialzadeh 'gifted a house worth 16 billion tomans to the wife of Hossein Fereydoun.' 46 principlist representatives in parliament accused Hossein Fereydoun of 'economic corruption' in a letter on January 5 and requested the president to introduce his brother to the judiciary. Hossein Fereydoun has also previously announced that he has filed complaints against several representatives who raised allegations of 'financial corruption' against him.