Head of the Court of Audit Accuses Rouhani's Government of 'Financial Disorder' and 'Selling the Future'

The head of Iran's Court of Audit, Adel Azar, accused Hassan Rouhani's government in a television interview of financial disorder and 'selling the future,' stating that the government's debt has increased by 229%. According to a report by Tasnim News Agency, which is close to the Revolutionary Guards, Azar said, 'The government is selling the future, and this is a sign of public financial disorder.' In his interview regarding the budget deviation report for the year 1395 (2016), he noted that compared to the previous year, the level of violations and deviations from the budget law had increased. The budget deviation report, prepared annually by the Court of Audit, essentially reflects the financial performance of each government over a year. Azar mentioned that Rouhani's government ignored 55% of the budget provisions in 1394 (2015), but this figure rose to 65% in 1395. Officials of the Islamic Republic have yet to respond to the criticisms regarding the budget deviation report for 1395. These criticisms arise as Rouhani's government recently submitted the budget bill for 1397 (2018) to the parliament, which has also faced significant criticism, particularly regarding the increase in energy prices. Additionally, some experts and analysts have cited public dissatisfaction with the details of the new budget bill as one reason for the nationwide protests that began in December of the previous year. Protests started in Mashhad on December 28 and spread to over a hundred cities, initially focusing on poor economic conditions but later evolving into political issues, including slogans against the Islamic Republic and Ayatollah Khamenei. The government's reaction to these protests resulted in at least 25 deaths and thousands of arrests. In his interview, Azar also labeled the National Iranian Gas Company as 'the most undisciplined state company in 1395,' stating that approximately 24 trillion tomans of revenue from oil subsidiaries, including the National Gas Company, oil refining and distribution companies, were not deposited into the treasury. He also mentioned that $1.177 billion was not transferred to the National Development Fund from the budget of 1395.