Member of Parliament: Illegal Transfer of $700 Million Project During Ahmadinejad's Administration

Rahim Zare, a member of parliament and spokesperson for the Economic Commission, announced on Saturday, September 21, the illegal transfer of a $700 million project for the construction of the Iran-Turkmenistan railway during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's administration to the Iranian company "Pars Energy". He stated that this action led to the cancellation of the project and the fleeing of the company's 'owner'. According to IRNA, Zare referred to the signing of the contract for the construction of the railway line between Iran and Turkmenistan in 2010 by the presidents of the two countries, stating: "In 2009, the construction of this massive national and infrastructural project was handed over to Pars Energy, owned by Mr. 'A-R', without the slightest expertise, necessary facilities, or initial capital for unknown reasons." The spokesperson of the Economic Commission stated that the owner of Pars Energy lacked the necessary expertise for this project. He added that the owner of this company had engaged in unhealthy and non-transparent economic activities, tax evasion, and rent-seeking, and was recognized as a suspect and detained in Evin prison during the 1990s, with relevant authorities confiscating all his assets in Iran and several foreign countries for the benefit of public funds. The website "Wikileaks" reported in 2010 on the connection between Pars Energy and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. This member of parliament accused Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, Ahmadinejad's chief of staff, of having a 'significant' role in the transfer of the Iran-Turkmenistan railway project to Pars Energy. Rahim Zare stated that the owner of Pars Energy had reportedly received over $220 million and was fleeing from Turkmenistan. The spokesperson of the Economic Commission added: "Reports indicate that the President of Turkmenistan, after three years of waiting for the construction of the railway line assigned to Mr. A-R and his introduction by Iran, ultimately decided on September 9, 2012, in the Council of Ministers to cancel the contract with Pars Energy due to numerous violations by Mr. A-R." The Turkmenistan-Iran railway was inaugurated on December 3 of last year in the presence of the presidents of Iran and Turkmenistan. Reports indicate that after the dismissal of Pars Energy from this railway project, the Khatam al-Anbiya headquarters affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps undertook the construction of the railway line. The spokesperson of the Economic Commission emphasized: "It must be investigated why and how such a massive $700 million specialized project was handed over to an individual with no clear past record. What visible and hidden hands were involved that all ministries and government agencies, including the former presidency, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Iranian embassy and ambassadors in Turkmenistan, the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development, the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Finance, the Central Bank of Iran, the Export Development Bank of Iran, and the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs, supported him for this major undertaking?"