Justice Minister: We Have Fallen Short in the Fight Against Corruption

Mostafa Pourmohammadi, Iran's Minister of Justice, stated on Sunday, February 6, "We must say and accept that we have fallen short in the fight against corruption." According to the IRNA news agency, the Minister of Justice in Hassan Rouhani's government made these remarks during the "National Citizens' Rights Conference," noting that "we must accept that we have not acted well in upholding citizens' rights," adding that "in society, we should award medals and honors to those who have not committed violations." The Minister's comments come as Transparency International's latest report identified Iran as one of the most corrupt countries in the region. Pourmohammadi then prioritized addressing issues such as unemployment and addiction, emphasizing that "we have many problems, such as unemployment and addiction, and we must organize them, and after resolving these, we can pay attention to other rights, such as judicial and political rights." The acknowledgment by Iran's Minister of Justice of having "fallen short" in combating corruption comes amid significant economic corruption cases in Iran's judiciary, with death sentences and long prison terms issued for several defendants, while investigations into others, such as Babak Zanjani, an Iranian businessman accused of economic corruption, continue. In recent months, several parliament members, including Ahmad Tavakoli, have warned about the institutionalization of corruption in the country. Tavakoli, a conservative representative from Tehran, reiterated on February 5 at the "National Transparency Conference in Parliament" the necessity of transparency in politics and economics, criticizing the "systematic corruption" affecting some state institutions. He stated, "Not all these institutions are corrupt, but the fact that some individuals within these entities are facing issues means they can no longer seriously pursue the fight against corruption." Ezzatollah Youssefian Molla, a parliamentary observer in the Economic Corruption Combat Headquarters, also stated on February 18 in a public session that "national and provincial officials" play a role in land grabbing, banks in Iran have become a "breeding ground for corruption," and "corruption has lost its stigma in the country." Previously, Mahmoud Raisi, the Attorney General, announced last June that "18,000 land grabbing cases have been filed in the judiciary, and so far, 40,000 hectares of national land that had been seized have been reclaimed." The Islamic Republic of Iran also received one of the worst rankings in Transparency International's recent report. In its latest report published on January 27, Iran was identified as one of the most corrupt countries in the region. The report ranked Iran 130th out of 168 countries surveyed globally in terms of institutional transparency and the status of the fight against corruption. Respecting the people's erroneous vote is also important. Mostafa Pourmohammadi, in further remarks on Sunday regarding citizens' rights, referred to the issue of elections in Iran. He stated, "Even respecting the erroneous vote of the people is important, and we cannot say that because the people did not make the right choice in this case, we should not respect their vote." He referenced Ayatollah Khomeini's saying that "the measure is the people's vote" and Ayatollah Khamenei's emphasis on the necessity of respecting "the rights of others." These statements come amid ongoing discussions in Iran about the widespread rejection of the "qualifications" of electoral candidates seeking to present themselves for public vote, leading to public disillusionment with elections.