Jahangiri: Zanjani's Position is Demanding and Heroic

The First Vice President of Iran described the position of Babak Zanjani, the imprisoned businessman, in court as "demanding" and "heroic," stating that this behavior is insulting and that the judiciary must deal with him decisively. According to ISNA, Eshaq Jahangiri, the First Vice President of Iran, said on Sunday, November 15, at the National Crisis Management Conference, referring to the trial of Babak Zanjani: "It is absolutely unacceptable for an individual to have two billion seven hundred million dollars of the country's money and speak in court from the position of a hero and a creditor against the Islamic Republic of Iran." Jahangiri pointed out that "if this individual claims to have a lot of money, why doesn't he return the country's money to get out of prison?" He added: "This is insulting behavior, and we request the judiciary to address this issue and also deal with those who operate behind the scenes to strengthen such behaviors." The First Vice President of Hassan Rouhani further emphasized Zanjani's positions regarding the current Minister of Oil, stating: "This individual continuously slanders the revolutionary, pure, and devout Minister of the country, Mr. Zangeneh. He is one of the cleanest and most experienced ministers and managers in the country." Previously, Babak Zanjani had accused Bijan Zangeneh and the Ministry of Oil of politicizing and darkening the situation during his first defense session in court. Meanwhile, Zanjani's defense attorney announced the ninth session of his client's trial on Tuesday, November 16, in Branch 15 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Salavati. Rasul Kouhpayehzadeh stated on Saturday in an interview with IRNA that this session will also be held publicly. According to IRNA, so far, eight sessions of the court have been held publicly to address the case of Babak Zanjani and two other oil defendants named "M.S." and "H.F.H." in Branch 15 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Tehran, presided over by Judge Salavati, where the prosecutor's representative read a 237-page indictment in the first three sessions. The fourth session began with the reading of Babak Zanjani's 200-page defense as the first defendant. Morteza Turk, the deputy prosecutor and responsible for overseeing Babak Zanjani's assets, was also present in court and presented remarks in response to the defendant's statements. Additionally, at the end of the eighth session addressing Babak Zanjani's charges, which was held publicly on November 10 in Branch 15 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Tehran, the name Reza Zarrab also came up. In this session, presided over by Abolghasem Salavati, Gholamhossein Sadeghi Ghahareh, the defense attorney for the "HK" oil company, stated that Mr. Zanjani used Korean and Turkish currencies instead of paying contractors to purchase assets and invest. The attorney emphasized that Babak Zanjani deposited Turkish lira into an account of a currency exchange affiliated with Reza Zarrab, an Iranian-Turkish investor. Mr. Sadeghi Ghahareh also accused Babak Zanjani of portraying himself as a hero alongside his partners by claiming to circumvent sanctions, stating that they have looted more than two billion euros from the oil company, which is part of the public treasury. The attorney for the "HK" company pointed out what he called Babak Zanjani's financial capability, saying that Mr. Zanjani "has gained a windfall from the resources of the Niko Company and the Oil Company, which he has spent on his ambitions." On the other hand, Mostafa Torkhamdani, the attorney for the plaintiffs from the Social Security Organization, stated on Sunday, November 15, in an interview with IRNA, referring to the court session on Tuesday for Saeed Mortazavi, the former Tehran prosecutor, that "the issues of the Social Security case are not unrelated to Babak Zanjani's case." Mr. Mortazavi is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday, November 16, to respond to the accusations of private plaintiffs. In this context, the Minister of Justice and the Central Bank stated that Zanjani's statements are a "big lie." Zanjani stated in the seventh court session: "I currently have 22 billion euros in cash." Babak Zanjani in court: "I have obtained a ruling to seize the assets of Bank Maskan."