Iran's Oil Ministry: Babak Zanjani Has Not Deposited Any Money Despite His Promises

The legal affairs manager of the National Iranian Oil Company announced that contrary to Babak Zanjani's promise to pay his debts by Monday or Tuesday, neither the court nor the Central Bank has reported any 'deposit of money or issuance of a guarantee from him.' Meanwhile, Zanjani's lawyer stated that the issuance of the guarantee 'is being pursued' but emphasized that no money is set to be deposited into the National Iranian Oil Company's account. According to Fars News Agency, Ali Akbar Mahrokhzad, the legal affairs manager of the National Iranian Oil Company, said on Wednesday, November 4, that if 'claims and damages for delays and ancillary costs' are collected, there will be no reason to continue the lawsuit against Babak Zanjani. He stressed that the National Iranian Oil Company's withdrawal from its lawsuit would not prevent the judiciary from addressing other charges against Zanjani 'from the perspective of the public prosecutor.' Babak Zanjani had promised on Saturday, November 9, that by Monday he would provide a bank guarantee of '1 billion and 968 million euros' through a 'reputable' foreign bank to pay his debts. Meanwhile, Rasoul Kouhpayehzadeh, Zanjani's lawyer, said on Wednesday that the issuance of the guarantee 'is being pursued' and 'is going through legal procedures.' On Tuesday, news agencies quoted Kouhpayehzadeh as saying that 1 billion and 427 million euros of his debt had been settled, but the guarantee for the payment of the oil cargo sales, which is another part of his debt, has not yet been issued. Both the lawyer and the legal affairs manager of the National Iranian Oil Company have denied these statements. Kouhpayehzadeh clarified that he meant that 'considering the opinion of the deputy prosecutor of Tehran regarding the evaluation of my client's assets at 2 trillion and 600 billion tomans,' this amount would be deducted from his client's total debt. According to IRNA, he added: 'No, we said that money would be deposited into the account, nor was it supposed that money would be deposited.' Kouhpayehzadeh emphasized that until the sanctions against Iran are lifted, 'the ability to transfer money and deposit funds by anyone is fundamentally impossible.' Babak Zanjani and his lawyer had previously stated that as long as Western sanctions against Iran are in place, there is no possibility for Zanjani to deposit his debts into the account of the National Iranian Oil Company. The legal affairs manager of the National Iranian Oil Company described these statements as 'pretexting' and stated that the company is willing to deposit its claim from Zanjani even into accounts that are sanctioned and 'blocked' so that it can be transferred to Iran after the sanctions are lifted. Regarding Zanjani's lawyer's statements about recording conversations between Babak Zanjani and oil managers, reports indicate that Zanjani stated in his court that if he publishes his phone conversations with oil ministry officials, they would 'be embarrassed.' Zanjani's lawyer said on Wednesday that a company named 'Kent Electronic' in Tajikistan backs up 'all emails and conversations of Babak Zanjani's managers and companies in Iran with local servers in the holding offices.' Kouhpayehzadeh emphasized that the activities of this company and Zanjani's statements do not imply cooperation with the police or security organizations of Tajikistan.