Exclusive: Disclosure of New Multi-Billion Dollar Corruption Cases; Are 'Insiders' Turning Against Each Other?

The Persian section of Voice of America has obtained documents indicating the loss of billions of dollars in currency and hundreds of kilograms of gold in Iran, revealing financial corruption, bribery, and disruption of Iran's economic system. According to the available documents, many of these cases have been in the investigation and financial tracing stages until the year 1401 (2022). Based on the latest documents provided to Voice of America by the hacking group 'Justice Ali', a list of individuals involved in 'major disruption of the country's economic system' with millions of dollars in financial losses has been disclosed, currently in the 'investigation' stage. Given the Islamic Republic's history of leniency towards government-affiliated figures, it seems this list represents only a portion of the violations that have occurred, and it is unclear what the exact outcomes have been. According to these documents, the accusation of 'participation in major disruption of the country's currency and monetary system' has been attributed to several individuals named in the existing documents through various means, including 'large-scale smuggling of government currencies in a networked and organized manner', 'interference in forward transactions', 'misappropriation of people's deposits', 'disruption in the production and distribution of government currencies', and 'receiving bribes in a networked manner'. So far, there is no precise information regarding the depth and extent of the connections between government institutions and these economic criminals, but in numerous previous cases, organized corruption of such magnitude has typically been facilitated by collaboration with government officials and power institutions. Some of the accused in these cases have been operators of 'currency price Telegram channels', while others have been accused of participation in smuggling, bribery, and interference in forward transactions. These cases pertain to the period from 1398 to 1401 (2019-2022), and the financial accusations attributed to the named individuals vary. For example, one accused named 'Abulfazl Fard Jahānābād' is accused of committing 'large-scale smuggling of government currencies' worth over 405 million and 510 thousand euros through the 'Resal Kar Tabarestan' company in Mordad 98 (July 2019). Some cases also face financial accusations of around '20 million, 25 million, 30 million, 35 million' euros and dollars, which are mentioned in the existing documents as being in the 'financial tracing' stage. Some other referenced cases are in the 'expertise stage', 'final court order issuance', interrogation, and 'final defense acquisition' stages. In addition to currency cases, several of these financial corruption cases are also related to significant amounts of gold; for instance, several cases mention figures such as over 'one thousand kilograms' of gold, '450 kilograms', '400 kilograms', '359 kilograms', '200 kilograms', and in some cases, lesser amounts. In one of these cases, which the 'Economic Security Police of FATA' is introduced as the judicial authority, an individual named 'Davood Riazati' committed 'disruption of the country's economic system' related to 'one thousand and 63 kilograms' of gold in Tir 1401 (July 2022), but no further details about the type of violation are mentioned in this document. Among the accused, one person is also mentioned as the 'responsible for the gold price Telegram channel'. These cases, which are reported to have formed between the years 1398 and 1401, are related to 'disruption of the country's economic system' in the gold sector. Several of the accused in these large economic cases are facing charges of 'complicity in major disruption of the country's economic system'. In one case, an individual named 'Mashaallah Payravi' faced charges of 'major disruption of the economy' amounting to 'one billion and 400 million euros' in Mordad 1399 (July 2020), and it is stated in the documents that his case is 'in the final defense acquisition stage'. The amount of damage inflicted on Iran's currency and monetary system in just one of these cases in 1400 (2021) is reported to be nearly eight billion and 201 million and 261 thousand dollars. The amount of damage inflicted on Iran's economic system in another case related to Ordibehesht 1398 (May 2019) is mentioned to be over 'one billion and 708 million euros' and over '908 million dollars'. Additionally, these documents refer to an individual named 'Kambiz Abasi', who in Dey 1400 (December 2021) was accused of 'participation in major disruption of the country's economic system' through 'disruption in production and disruption in distribution of government currencies and receiving bribes in a networked manner'. He is accused of receiving '20 billion' and 'distributing five million dollars' in currency. The documents do not specify which institution of the Islamic Republic 'Kambiz Abasi' was affiliated with and from whom he received bribes. According to the existing documentation, these cases are being pursued by institutions including the 'Intelligence Organization of the IRGC', 'Ministry of Intelligence', and 'Economic Security Police of FATA', and have been submitted to the judiciary of the Islamic Republic. This is while the so-called security arms, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, have themselves been involved in many of the largest corruption cases in Iran. There is no precise and verifiable information regarding the recent cases to indicate whether this is merely a portion of the cases that the 'security' apparatus intended to address or if it encompasses all matters. The continued registration of financial corruption cases with such enormous amounts in the judiciary of the Islamic Republic occurs while previously, some prisoners with similar accusations and labeled as the 'Sultan' of coins and currency in Iran have been executed. For instance, the Tehran prosecutor executed Vahid Malekzadeh and Mohammad Esmail Qasemi in Aban 1397 (November 2018) on charges of disrupting the country's economic system. Meanwhile, the disclosure of economic corruption among Islamic Republic officials and their affiliates has repeatedly made headlines in recent years; documentary reports that have not led to significant legal and judicial consequences for these individuals. Recently, the judiciary announced that Babak Zanjani, who was sentenced to death for 'embezzlement and financial corruption', might be released after 10 years by 'paying off debts'. This is while the judiciary of the Islamic Republic has recently executed the punishment of amputating the fingers of a prisoner accused of stealing five sheep. Among the latest cases is the disclosure of the land grabbing case of Kazem Sediqi and his sons. Financial corruption in Iran and the silence of government media regarding it has continued in recent years. Previously, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic emphasized in 1390 (2011) regarding the three thousand billion tomans embezzlement case in Iranian banks that media 'should not prolong this issue'. Ali Khamenei claimed that 'some want to exploit these incidents to hit the officials'. Previously, the Persian section of Voice of America reported exclusively on a document obtained during the hacking of the judiciary by the hacking group 'Justice Ali', revealing a financial corruption case worth tens of millions of dollars from public assets in the Khatam Headquarters of the IRGC. This report is based on documents obtained by Voice of America, and in the absence of a free media environment and the publication of information in Iran, the possibility of accurate and independent verification has not been available.