Ejei: The cases of Ahmadinejad and Baghaei are open

The spokesperson of Iran's judiciary referred to the ongoing cases of former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Hamid Baghaei, announcing that no complaints have been filed by Ahmadinejad against the Attorney General or vice versa. According to ISNA news agency, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei stated on Sunday during a press conference that whether Ahmadinejad's statements in Ahvaz could constitute a criminal act is something to be determined in the future, as he does not possess foreknowledge. He also mentioned that there have been no complaints filed against Ahmadinejad for insulting officials or by him against the Attorney General. Regarding Ahmadinejad's candidacy against the 'recommendation' of the Supreme Leader, Ejei noted that this is a matter of qualifications that the Guardian Council must address. Ali-Asghar Hosseini, Ahmadinejad's lawyer, announced that the former president intends to file a complaint against the recent statements of the Attorney General in the Special Clerical Court. Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, the Attorney General, had previously hinted at a response to the protests regarding Ahmadinejad's speech in Ahvaz, stating that 'the time will come' to address these remarks. Abdolreza Davari, a close associate of Ahmadinejad, described these statements as 'offensive' and 'slanderous,' while Hamid Baghaei attributed Montazeri's comments to his failure to be appointed as Minister of Justice in the tenth government. Ahmadinejad, in a speech on March 22, stated, 'Those who think the nation does not understand are the most ignorant people on earth. What kind of royalty has emerged in some? ... You are mobilizing to tell the nation that subsidies are bad and should not be implemented? 97 percent want something, why are you against the nation? 80 million people do not understand, but you do, this very nation elevated you.' While some of Ahmadinejad's close associates, including Ali Akbar Javanfekr, have identified Hassan Rouhani as the target of these remarks, some principlists, including Mohsen Rezaei, believe the Supreme Leader is the intended audience. Following these comments, Ahmadinejad refrained from providing a clear response regarding interpretations of his recent speech in Ahvaz during an interview with a Spanish news agency. The judiciary spokesperson also mentioned that Hamid Baghaei's case remains open, and he has not been exonerated or proven guilty. Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei announced that Ahmadinejad's case has not yet resulted in a verdict, and until a date is set, it cannot be determined when the court will convene. Baghaei, known as one of Ahmadinejad's closest allies, was arrested in June 2015 on charges of embezzlement and was released in January of the following year. Ahmadinejad's case has been open in the Tehran Criminal Court for several years, and the newspaper 'Shargh' previously reported the existence of '23 complaints against Ahmadinejad in the judiciary,' including complaints from the parliament. The first court session for Ahmadinejad took place on November 26, 2013, in Branch 76 of the Tehran Criminal Court, without his or his lawyer's presence, resulting in the judge ordering a rescheduling. Shortly after Hassan Rouhani's victory in the 2013 presidential election, Ahmadinejad was summoned to court, but the judiciary spokesperson described the summons as 'poor taste' and stated that judiciary officials were unaware of it. Ahmadinejad and Baghaei registered as candidates for the presidential election on April 12, and Ahmadinejad's candidacy, contrary to the previous 'recommendation' of the Supreme Leader, has elicited negative reactions from most principlists. In response to Rouhani's comments regarding the innocence of detained Telegram channel managers, the judiciary spokesperson called them 'incorrect.' He stated that the crime of the detained Telegram channel managers is 'generally security-related, and some of them also face charges of disseminating obscene images and violating public decency.' He reported that six Telegram channel managers remain in custody, one has been released, and another will be released on Sunday. Ejei also reacted to Rouhani's comments regarding the intentional detention of individuals on Fridays, stating that such remarks are 'not befitting' for officials. Rouhani, on April 10, criticized the detention of managers from several Telegram channels close to the government and threatened to publish a report from the Ministry of Intelligence on the matter. He emphasized that individuals should not be imprisoned for supporting parties. Minister of Intelligence Mahmoud Alavi also stated that the government opposes the detention of Telegram channel managers. Mohseni Ejei previously mentioned that 'there are matters concerning the Minister of Intelligence' in this case, and he cannot prepare a report on it. On the same day, Alavi responded, 'I do not know of a crime for the admins that I would be complicit in; it seems they are my accomplices. Defending the government is not a small crime.' The spokesperson's office for Rouhani's government stated that Ejei's comments were made due to 'fatigue and pressure of commitments.' Last December, several Telegram channel managers and journalists, including Hengameh Shahidi, Morad Saghafi, Ehsan Mazandarani, and Ramin Karimian, a researcher and translator, were detained. Mahmoud Sadeghi, a representative from Tehran in parliament, Hesameddin Ashna, an advisor to Rouhani, and several members of the Hope faction in parliament reacted to these detentions, linking them to the 2017 presidential election. The Attorney General stated on April 12 that 'we have evidence and documents that they were planning for the elections.' The spokesperson also mentioned that the Attorney General sent a letter along with a list of 53 dual-national managers to the Ministry of Intelligence again, stating that 'if their dual nationality is proven, action will be taken according to the law.' He added that 'holders of green cards may also have qualification issues, which is a separate discussion, and what the law prohibits and provides for action against are dual nationals.' Judiciary officials have previously reported the presence of dual-national managers in the government, but the Minister of Intelligence stated on March 14, 2017, that the judiciary had not introduced 'even one case' of dual nationals to the ministry in response to previous requests. Alavi mentioned that the son-in-law of a political figure in Iran, who held a government position, was a dual national who resigned. The Minister's reference to 'the son-in-law of a political figure' could refer to Rouhollah Rahmani, the son-in-law of Gholamali Haddad Adel, the seventh parliament speaker. Rahmani, who is born and a citizen of the United States, was appointed as the Director General of the Office of Innovation and Investment Support in the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in July but resigned in November after the issue of dual-national managers was raised. Officials from the eleventh government state that holding a U.S. green card or residency permits in other countries does not equate to dual nationality. On April 1, the Central Bank of Iran, in a revised version of the 'Guidelines for Determining and Revoking the Professional Qualifications of Managers of Credit Institutions,' prohibited the use of dual nationals as managers in Iranian banks.