Former Central Bank Governor: Zanjani Had Closer Ties with the Oil Ministry

The former governor of the Central Bank during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's administration rejected allegations regarding his role in the Babak Zanjani case, stating that Zanjani had 'more' connections with the Oil Ministry and that he himself last appeared in court as a 'witness' last year. Mahmoud Bahmani said in an interview with ILNA news agency on Sunday, January 9, that during his management, the Central Bank had 'the least connection' with Babak Zanjani and that Zanjani's connections were primarily with the Oil Ministry. He described the Babak Zanjani case as 'a political case' and mentioned that he had provided his 'expert opinion' to the judge in the Zanjani case a year ago, after which 'nothing significant' occurred. Bahmani added, 'If there had been any issues regarding my activities during my presidency, my qualifications would not have been approved for the parliament, and I would not be present today as a representative of the people in Baharestan.' Mahmoud Bahmani, the former governor of the Central Bank, was approved for candidacy in the tenth parliamentary elections and was elected as a representative from Savojbolagh. Rostam Qasemi, the oil minister of the tenth government, has also been introduced as a presidential candidate by the Yekta Front, composed of some ministers from Ahmadinejad's government. However, Sadegh Larijani, the head of the judiciary, responded to government criticisms on Tuesday, January 3, stating, 'Individuals related to this case, from former ministers to the former Central Bank governor, have repeatedly been summoned to the judiciary and have been investigated for hours, and this case remains open, and no one has said that these ministers or others have been acquitted or that prosecution has been barred.' Amir Abbas Soltani, a member of the parliamentary committee following the Babak Zanjani case in the ninth parliament, had previously accused the Minister of Intelligence, the Minister of Economy, the Central Bank governor, and the Oil Minister of Ahmadinejad's government of being 'involved' in the Babak Zanjani case. The verbal conflict between the judiciary and government officials, which initially began with allegations regarding the Babak Zanjani case, has intensified in recent days, with both sides implicitly accusing each other of financial corruption. Sadegh Larijani, on Tuesday, January 3, while raising allegations of Zanjani's assistance to Hassan Rouhani's campaign in the 2013 elections, accused the Foreign Ministry, Central Bank, and Oil Ministry of failing to take necessary actions to recover Zanjani's assets abroad. Larijani's remarks were a reaction to statements made by Hassan Rouhani on January 1, where he mentioned that he had requested the judiciary to hand over the Babak Zanjani case to the Ministry of Intelligence, but this request had not been executed. He also noted that the public's questions regarding this case remain unanswered. Following Larijani's statements, Hassan Rouhani's Twitter account called for transparency regarding the judiciary's accounts, to which Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the spokesperson and first deputy of the judiciary, responded by demanding the disclosure of the expenses of Rouhani's campaign in 2013. The Foreign, Intelligence, and Oil Ministries, as well as the Central Bank, also issued statements denying the allegations made by the head of the judiciary and stated that they had adequately carried out the actions requested of them in this case, and the judiciary had previously praised them. Meanwhile, Hesamoddin Ashna, an advisor to Hassan Rouhani, tweeted that the officials of Rouhani's government have explained their actions regarding the Babak Zanjani case, and 'now it is time for the explanations from the officials of the previous government.' In the prosecutor's indictment, Babak Zanjani is accused of having paid '160 million euros' out of the '2.7 billion euros' he was obligated to pay to the oil company, using the remainder for personal matters.