Judiciary Chief Reports on a 6500 Billion Toman Financial Case

On Tuesday, February 28, the head of Iran's judiciary, Sadeq Amoli Larijani, announced the emergence of several major financial cases related to Iranian banks. According to reports from Iranian news agencies, Larijani mentioned during a meeting of the Administrative Council of Lorestan Province that in one of these cases, an individual obtained a loan of 6500 billion tomans from a bank without providing the necessary collateral. He stated that this individual had transferred part of the borrowed funds abroad in the form of foreign currency. Larijani did not provide further details about the case, including the name of the bank or the individual involved, but noted that it was a private bank. He also remarked, 'We cannot currently pursue all those who have bank debts, as many of them have fallen into difficulties due to changes in the economic situation. However, there are also those who have taken advantage of the situation by obtaining large bank loans, and it is unclear what they have done with these amounts.' The highest-ranking judicial authority in Iran has announced a new financial case amid numerous reports of widespread financial misconduct in recent months. Recently, Mohammad Reza Rahimi was imprisoned for acquiring illicit wealth, and Babak Zanjani, a businessman and oil broker, has been in prison for over a year as investigations into his misconduct continue. The emergence of new dimensions in extensive financial cases comes at a time when punishments, including the death penalty, have been executed for several economic convicts in the Islamic Republic, with one of the most recent cases being the execution of Meh Afarin Khosravi, the main suspect in a 3000 billion toman banking case. On Tuesday, Larijani also mentioned that the issue of bank debts was discussed in a recent meeting of the heads of the three branches of government. He reiterated that the judiciary cannot pursue all those with bank debts, as many have been caught in difficulties due to the changing economic circumstances.