Iran's Judiciary Spokesman Announces Details of Mohammad Reza Rahimi's Sentence

The Deputy Head and Spokesman of Iran's Judiciary, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, detailed the sentence of Mohammad Reza Rahimi, the former Vice President, stating that the ruling is in 'administrative procedures' that 'must be communicated through stages and then the individual will be summoned.' In a press conference on Wednesday, February 8, he said, 'When a ruling becomes definitive, it is executed, and this case is in administrative procedures that must be communicated and then the individual summoned.' Ejei referred to the role of Jaber Abdali in the 'Iran Insurance Corruption,' adding, 'During the investigation, it became clear that this person was also involved in another case, and he had a debt of 60 billion tomans and had resorted to bribery to resolve it, and during the investigation, Mr. Rahimi's name came up.' He emphasized, 'Based on the statements of the defendants, documents obtained, and the examination of several bank accounts and tracking the exchanged funds, the accusation was directed at Mr. Rahimi.' Iranian media have referred to Jaber Abdali as the fifth defendant in the embezzlement case involving Iran Insurance. In June 2012, during the embezzlement trial, he stated that he had 'given his signed checkbook' to Mr. Rahimi on the eve of the eighth parliamentary elections. On September 8, Rahimi claimed in a letter to the head of the judiciary that his case was related to assisting candidates in the eighth parliamentary elections and had 'no connection' to the embezzlement case from Iran Insurance, which he said occurred in 2003 and thereafter. The Judiciary Spokesman continued that the investigation into Rahimi's case began in October 2009 and was officially recorded in 2010. According to Ejei, in the first half of 2011, the investigator officially began his inquiry into Mohammad Reza Rahimi. He clarified that after holding 11 lengthy sessions with Mr. Rahimi and his lawyers, the case was ultimately sent to court with an indictment and prosecution order for Rahimi and other defendants. Ejei did not specify the exact date of sending Rahimi's case to court. The investigation into the Iran Insurance case began in March 2010 and initially included 54 defendants. At first, based on the initials of the defendants' names, Mr. Rahimi was not among them. The Tehran Prosecutor's Office announced on January 3, 2014, that Rahimi had been investigated and was released on appropriate bail. Reports indicate that Rahimi's first trial session was held on May 24, 2014, and the second session on June 6 in Branch 76 of the Tehran Criminal Court. The Judiciary Spokesman noted that ultimately the Supreme Court sentenced him to five years in prison, permanent dismissal from public service, restitution of embezzled funds, and a monetary fine. According to Ejei, Mohammad Reza Rahimi was sentenced to three months and one day in prison for acquiring illegitimate wealth and restitution totaling 3 billion and 850 million tomans for bribery and illegitimate acquisition. In response to a question about the possibility of Rahimi requesting the application of Article 18, Ejei said, 'This depends on whether the convicted person and his lawyer have evidence and whether the ruling contradicts clear religious law.' Rahimi's lawyer, Mohammad Reza Naderi, stated on February 4 that he does not accept the issued ruling and will request the application of Article 18 from the head of the judiciary. According to Article 18 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, if the definitive rulings of public and revolutionary courts, military courts, and the Supreme Court are deemed by the head of the judiciary as contrary to clear religious law, they are referred to the competent authority for retrial. Ejei also mentioned, 'Due to meticulousness, accuracy, and investigations, there were problems that if they had not existed and some had not intervened, the process might have been completed more quickly.' Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in 2011, at the same time as news about the potential arrest of Mohammad Reza Rahimi was published, referred to his cabinet as his 'red line.' In this context, Rahimi was sentenced to five years in prison and a fine of 4 billion tomans. Reactions from some conservative members of parliament to Rahimi's conviction included Ahmadinejad's office stating that Rahimi's accusations have no connection to the ninth government, while Rahimi told Ahmadinejad, 'I am suffering from your stubbornness and reputation damage.' A letter introducing 170 representatives who 'received money from Rahimi' was torn up.