Mehdi Hashemi's Lawyer: Rejection of My Client's Request for Retrial Not Communicated

Two news agencies, Tasnim and Mizan, have reported the rejection of Mehdi Hashemi's request for retrial by the Supreme Court, but Mr. Hashemi's lawyer has stated that this matter has not been communicated to his client and that "some media outlets are spreading false news." Mizan news agency, affiliated with the judiciary, reported on Tuesday, February 21, that Mehdi Hashemi's request for retrial has been rejected by the Supreme Court. Tasnim news agency also published a similar report citing an unnamed judicial official. However, on the same day, Mahmoud Alizadeh Tabatabai, Mehdi Hashemi's lawyer, reacted to these reports in an interview with ILNA, saying, "Unfortunately, some media outlets are spreading false news, and we have not received any communication regarding this matter so far." On October 26, some news websites had reported that Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, in a meeting with some journalists, mentioned that the Supreme Court had accepted the retrial of Mehdi Hashemi's case and that it would be reviewed in another court. The next day, however, Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi, the Tehran prosecutor, called these reports "false" and stated that Mehdi Hashemi had submitted a request for retrial to the Supreme Court, but it had "not yet been accepted." Iffat Marashi, the wife of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, also stated in an interview with the Sunday, February 19, edition of Shargh newspaper that Mr. Hashemi had told her on the morning of his death that there might be "good news" regarding their son Mehdi's case and that "the retrial and the matters written by the judges are positive." Mehdi Hashemi has been on leave from prison following his father's death. In recent days, there have been reports about his departure from the country, but Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the judiciary spokesman, denied these reports and announced that Mehdi Hashemi's leave had been extended. In this regard, Mostafa Mohibi, the director of prisons in Tehran province, also stated on Tuesday that Mehdi Hashemi's leave has been extended until March 1. Mehdi Hashemi, the son of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, reported to Evin Prison on Sunday, August 9, 2015, to serve a 10-year prison sentence. He was charged upon his return to Iran at the airport on October 24, 2012, and after reporting to the prosecutor's office, he was arrested. He was released on bail after nearly three months in custody at the end of December of that year. Ultimately, after several court sessions, his sentence was issued, and Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the first deputy of the judiciary, announced on June 10, 2015, that Mehdi Hashemi's sentence had been confirmed and that "the highest punishment, which is serving 10 years in prison, will be executed against him." The handling of Mehdi Hashemi's case has repeatedly sparked controversy in Iranian media, and the first deputy of the judiciary hinted at this case during a Friday prayer speech in Tehran on July 27, 2015, stating that a "powerful individual" threatens the judiciary. While some Iranian parliamentarians and conservative media outlets have accused Mehdi Hashemi of being involved in economic corruption related to the Statoil and Karsent contracts, Mahmoud Alizadeh Tabatabai, Mehdi Hashemi's lawyer, has stated that the "main issue" of his client's case is Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani himself, not Mehdi Hashemi. Iffat Marashi, Mehdi Hashemi Rafsanjani's mother, also described the court's ruling against her son as "fraud and deceit" on June 21, 2015. In this context, Mehdi Hashemi has "been hospitalized again," the Tehran prosecutor denied the acceptance of Mehdi Hashemi's retrial, and he underwent surgery. "Mehdi Hashemi does not intend to pay the fine."