Hamid Baghaei Sent to Prison to Serve 15-Year Sentence

Hamid Baghaei, the executive deputy of former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has been arrested and sent to prison to serve his 15-year sentence. In a voice message recorded before his arrest, he warned that he would go on a hunger strike in prison. The Islamic Republic News Agency, IRNA, reported on Tuesday evening, March 22, citing the Tehran Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor's Office, that police officers acted to arrest Mr. Baghaei today and he has been sent to prison. Baghaei, who is accused of financial crimes during his tenure in Ahmadinejad's government, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison, a fine of 43 billion tomans, and lashes. His charges include unauthorized appropriation, embezzlement, and collusion in government transactions. Hours before his arrest, Gholamhossein Esmaili, the head of the Tehran judiciary, stated that the final ruling was issued on Monday and communicated for execution. Esmaili noted, 'The appellate court has issued the final ruling, and considering the multiplicity of charges, the maximum punishment, which is 15 years in prison, restitution, fines, and lashes will be executed against him.' Baghaei had previously reported that he was sentenced to 63 years in prison, which apparently reflects the total of the court's rulings against him, but under the new Islamic Penal Code, instead of the total sentences, the highest sentence, which is 15 years in prison, will be executed against him. Baghaei's case and trial, along with its controversies, is one of the most controversial judicial events in Iran in recent years, coinciding with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-emergence and his numerous and severe attacks on the judiciary, to the extent that he requested the removal of the head of the judiciary in a letter to the Supreme Leader. Baghaei has described his trial as 'political' and 'oppressive' and emphasized that the court handling his charges was 'directive.' He was first arrested in 2015 and spent about seven months in prison. His second arrest was in July 2017, which did not last long, and he was released on a bail of 20 billion tomans. Baghaei also registered as a candidate in this year's presidential election, but both his and Ahmadinejad's qualifications were rejected. He had previously stated that one of his charges was receiving 'large amounts of currency' from the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. He argued that if this accusation is true, why are the commanders of the Quds Force not being tried? Baghaei also recently wrote a letter to Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force, stating that the claim of receiving currency from that military force is entirely false. He asked Soleimani to communicate with the judiciary to clarify that this accusation is not true. In his letter, he mentioned that 'the Intelligence Organization of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claims that the Quds Force delivered 3.5 million euros to him for donation to the leaders of African countries after the end of the tenth government, at a time when Hamid Baghaei held no government responsibility, and Baghaei misappropriated this amount along with 570,000 dollars belonging to the Quds Force.' Iranian media or websites close to Baghaei have not yet published any report indicating that Qassem Soleimani has responded to this letter.