Hamid Bagheri Damani; From Velayati's Election Headquarters to the Court of Economic Disruptors

The death sentence for Hamid Bagheri Damani is the third confirmed death sentence by the Supreme Court following the disruption of the currency market and the economic situation in the country. Although his case has been ongoing for several years, unlike that of Vahid Malekzadeh, the atmosphere surrounding these cases has led to him being dubbed the 'Tar Pitch King,' similar to how Malekzadeh was known as the 'Coin King.' Bagheri Damani claims that at the age of 23, in 1992 and 1993, he owned a production unit. However, despite being under 40, he has been identified as one of the major economic defendants. In 2013, a letter from Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei was published, allowing him to pay his debts in installments. Amir Moghadam, the former head of public relations for the Executive Vice Presidency, wrote that Bagheri Damani's connections were not limited to Ahmadinejad's close associates and that he had relationships with other political figures as well, including providing financial assistance to Ali Akbar Velayati's campaign. The Tourism Bank, from which he has been accused of 'fraud and embezzlement,' was also established with the support of Mashaei and Beqaei, and Mehdi Jahangiri, the brother of Eshaq Jahangiri, was its founder. Bagheri Damani's name first emerged in 2007 with allegations of involvement in the misconduct of the Behzist Foundation and Behzist Petroleum. Shortly after, the Fars news agency reported that 'one of the main reasons' for Mohammad Reza Naqdi's resignation from the head of the Anti-Smuggling Goods and Currency Headquarters was 'the weak handling of the judiciary regarding smuggling cases, especially the case of the largest debtor in the banking system (Hamid Bagheri Damani).' The Anti-Smuggling Headquarters accused Bagheri Damani of 'launching extensive efforts to prevent the seizure of his smuggled goods by moving labels and cartons after the issuance of a ruling to confiscate goods and a fine of about 13 billion rials.' According to this headquarters, he 'claimed to establish a luxury car manufacturing factory for Benz and BMW in Garmsar and obtained a loan of 60 billion tomans while creating jobs for 1500 people,' and then turned this facility into a warehouse for smuggled goods. However, Bagheri Damani was released, but his case resurfaced after the deterioration of relations between Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Ayatollah Khamenei and the attacks on the close associates of the then President of Iran. Reports indicate that Bagheri Damani's case has been ongoing since 2011. The Tabnak website reported in 2013 that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had instructed the National and Sepah banks to allow the installment payment of Bagheri Damani's five-year arrears. According to this website, he 'received 1 billion and 115 million dollars in foreign currency facilities from banks and also received 100 million dollars from the foreign exchange reserve fund, which is the responsibility of domestic banks, and ... has not fulfilled any of his obligations to the banks.' In 2014, Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei, the judiciary spokesman, announced without naming him that the company belonging to Bagheri Damani 'has 2000 billion tomans in bank debts and also owes 330 billion tomans to another oil company.' This debt, claimed by the judiciary spokesman, relates to the purchase of pitch from the Jam oil company. Bijan Zanganeh, the oil minister, also spoke of a 400 billion toman case similar to that of Babak Zanjani, stating that an individual 'took a shipment of pitch without providing proper guarantees and has not paid for it.' Hamid Bagheri Damani has denied these accusations, including the debt to the Jam oil company for receiving pitch. He also stated that he has not engaged in financial activities since 2011 and that his assets have been seized during these years. Mahmoud Alizadeh Tabatabai, his lawyer, also stated that while his client is being treated 'like recent economic disruptors, he has been in prison since 2014 and is not related to recent events.' Nevertheless, Gholam Hossein Esmaeili, the head of the Tehran judiciary, indicated that this case has been sent for execution and is likely to be carried out quickly. In this context, Davood Abadi: An indictment has been issued for a petrochemical case worth three billion euros. The Tehran prosecutor: 1700 people have been summoned to special economic courts. 'The Coin King' and two other economic defendants have been sentenced to death. The fight against smuggling; two controversial cases and one resignation. Severe government repression and the danger of 'underground' protests. What doctors and eyewitnesses recount about the injured in the protests. The limitations of China-Iran relations becoming apparent amid protests.