Judiciary Spokesman: Mahdi Hashemi's Sentence Has Gone to Execution

Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the spokesman for Iran's judiciary, announced on Saturday, June 30, that Mahdi Hashemi's 10-year prison sentence is currently in the execution phase. According to Tasnim News Agency, Mr. Mohseni Ejei also stated that Mahdi Hashemi's sentence has been increased from 15 years to 25 years during the appeal process, but under the new Islamic Penal Code, he must serve 10 years in prison. The final ruling for Mahdi Hashemi was announced on June 21, indicating that he could not be acquitted of charges of embezzlement, bribery, and security crimes. According to the judiciary spokesman, Mr. Hashemi was initially sentenced to 7 years for embezzlement with forgery, 5 years for bribery, and 3 years for security crimes, totaling 15 years in prison. However, the appeals court increased these sentences to 10 years for embezzlement, 10 years for bribery, and 5 years for security crimes, amounting to 25 years in total. Nevertheless, according to the Islamic Penal Code, only the harshest punishment will be executed, which is the 10-year prison term. Previously, Tasnim News Agency reported, citing an 'informed judicial source,' that Mahdi Hashemi must also endure 50 lashes, pay a fine of about 2 billion tomans, and return two properties. However, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei did not mention these matters in his statements, only emphasizing that the court did not grant any leniency in Mahdi Hashemi's ruling and even increased his punishment. One of the charges against Mr. Hashemi relates to a contract between the National Iranian Oil Company and the Norwegian company Statoil, where some conservative members of the Islamic Consultative Assembly claimed he received over 5 million dollars in bribes. Meanwhile, Mahdi Hashemi's lawyers argue that reports from the Ministry of Intelligence during the presidency of Mohammad Khatami and the investigative committee of the sixth parliament indicate that Mahdi Hashemi committed 'no wrongdoing' in the Statoil case. Nevertheless, Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the head of Iran's Expediency Discernment Council, has not publicly reacted to the ruling against his son. In this context, Hashemi Rafsanjani has denied the allegations against his son, and the Ministry of Intelligence of Iran stated that it has not retracted its report about Mahdi Hashemi. Reports of Mahdi Hashemi's arrest have been denied, with officials stating, 'These false reports are not a good sign.'