Mahmoud Sadeghi: One of My Charges is Questioning the Head of the Judiciary

The Hope Fraction in the Islamic Consultative Assembly announced that it has chosen Ali Motahari to follow up on the complaint from the Tehran Prosecutor's Office against Mahmoud Sadeghi, a member of this fraction. On the other hand, Mahmoud Sadeghi, who had appeared at the Culture and Media Prosecutor's Office, confirmed that one of his charges was questioning the bank accounts of the head of the judiciary. The Iranian Labor News Agency, ILNA, reported on Tuesday, Azar, quoting Bahram Parsai, the spokesman for the Hope Fraction, that this fraction has asked Ali Motahari to take responsibility for following up on the Tehran Prosecutor's complaint against Mahmoud Sadeghi and to consult with the heads of the parliament and judiciary about it. Mr. Parsai stated that the Hope Fraction is not seeking to create a scandal or politicize the issue, as it believes this event is 'neither in favor of the system nor in favor of the judiciary and legislative powers,' and therefore wants Ali Motahari to resolve the matter through consultations with the heads of the two branches. On Tuesday, Ali Motahari protested in a letter to the Tehran Prosecutor regarding this judicial body's action in summoning Mahmoud Sadeghi and attempting to arrest him, warning that this approach would turn the parliament into 'a powerless entity always worried about summons and detention.' The arrest warrant for Mr. Sadeghi was issued after he called for clarification from the head of the judiciary regarding his personal accounts in the open session of the Islamic Consultative Assembly. This request was in response to reports on social media claiming that '63 personal accounts' exist in the name of Sadegh Larijani, with 'annual profits of 250 billion tomans.' However, the head of the judiciary strongly objected to Mahmoud Sadeghi's speech, considering it a sign of his 'audacity,' leading to the Culture and Media Prosecutor's Office summoning this member of parliament. ILNA conducted an interview with Mahmoud Sadeghi on Wednesday, December 10, in which he confirmed that one of his charges was indeed the question posed to the head of the judiciary, while initially, other charges had been raised. This member of parliament referred to his presence at the prosecutor's office, stating: 'In this session, I was informed about the complaints from the representative of Kashan and scholarships, comments about Yashar Soltani, and also my recent two-minute speech in the open session of parliament, in which I had requested clarification from the Minister of Economy about the bank accounts of the head of the judiciary. In total, I stated that none of the complaints had been legally communicated, and I would explain after being legally notified.' Mr. Sadeghi emphasized in this interview that his presence at the prosecutor's office was 'voluntary' and 'to prevent further tension,' otherwise 'the manner of issuing the arrest warrant was not legal,' and he 'merely raised questions in accordance with his legal rights as a representative of the people in parliament.' Article 86 of the Constitution states that members of parliament cannot be prosecuted or detained for 'opinions expressed in parliament or votes cast in the performance of their representative duties.' Mahmoud Sadeghi, citing this article and the internal regulations of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, emphasizes that the decision-making authority regarding this matter is the Supervisory Board on the Conduct of Representatives. In this context, the Tehran Prosecutor threatened: Sadeghi should introduce himself, otherwise he will be arrested. Ahmad Tavakoli stated: The actions of the Tehran Prosecutor create issues for the system. The 'arrest warrant' for Mahmoud Sadeghi became 'newsworthy.' Mahmoud Sadeghi's reaction to the prosecutor: I had not received a summons. Tabesh: The prosecutor's report on Mahmoud Sadeghi's presence at the prosecutor's office was not fair.