Governor of the Central Bank of Iran Confirmed the Authenticity of Financial Documents Leaked Against Raefipour's Institute

The Governor of the Central Bank of Iran confirmed the authenticity of leaked financial documents against the 'Masaf' institute belonging to Ali Akbar Raefipour, calling the act 'illegal' and 'incorrect.' Mohammad Reza Farzin threatened on Saturday, May 22, that 'if it is proven that the financial information of this institute was sent by the banking network, those responsible for this illegal act will be dealt with severely.' He stated that after learning about the publication of the financial information of this institute, he instructed two deputy directors and the security department of the Central Bank to investigate 'how access' and 'illegal publication' of these documents occurred. In the days leading up to the second round of the parliamentary elections, which were held on Friday with very low participation, some individuals and groups close to Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf published documents indicating that since 2022, about '100 billion tomans' had been deposited into the charity institute 'Masaf' under the title of 'public donations' and distributed among various individuals and companies. According to these documents, several accounts known as 'value-oriented' active on social media, which publish content against Qalibaf, were among the recipients of funds from the Masaf institute. Individuals and Twitter accounts affiliated with 'Masaf' had made financial disclosures against Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and his associates in the days leading up to the first round of elections. Ali Akbar Raefipour, who supported candidates in both rounds of the recent parliamentary elections with a list known as 'Sobh Iran,' accused the whistleblowers in a video of accessing people's bank accounts through security agencies and threatened to file a complaint. Meanwhile, Mohammad Reza Farzin did not mention the possible role of 'security agencies' in this disclosure, considering access to individuals' and institutions' banking information 'without judicial authorization' a crime. Jalil Mohibi, a figure close to Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and former secretary of the 'Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice' headquarters, who published these documents on his Telegram channel, reacted to the Central Bank Governor's position on X, stating, 'Instead of dealing with those who have cooperated with the banks' investigation committee, you should deal with those who have not fulfilled their duties regarding money laundering.' He, who is a member of the 'Scientific Board' of the Research Center of the Parliament and has also played a role in drafting the bill known as 'Hijab and Chastity,' did not provide further explanation about this 'investigation committee' and his connection to it. According to Iranian media reports, in the 11th Parliament, two separate investigation committees were supposed to investigate the performance of state banks and private credit institutions, but no reports from either of these committees were publicly released.