Mortazavi; 'Fugitive from Prison'

Etemad has dedicated a photo of itself to Saeed Mortazavi with the headline 'Under Pursuit' and writes: 'Has the criminal escaped? The answer to this question is not definitive. It has not yet been confirmed for the plaintiffs, lawyers, and relevant judicial institutions whether the former prosecutor and today's criminal has fled or not. However, 'the subject in question is not available,' is the status of the former Tehran prosecutor these days. Neither his mobile phone nor he is accessible. Neither to journalists nor to the execution court.' Mostafa Torkhamdani, a lawyer for several workers covered by the Social Security Organization, has stated that during the trial, he repeatedly requested an increase in the bail and also requested a travel ban, which was not acted upon, and 'now we have no way to determine the court of appeals' decision.' Mir Majid Taheri, the lawyer for the family of Mohsen Rouh-al-Amini, emphasized in an interview with Etemad that 'they are not hopeless about the execution of justice and continue their follow-ups.' The lawyer for Mohsen Rouh-al-Amini's family stressed that 'there is a different procedure in the case of Saeed Mortazavi or the cases concerning officials in the Government Employees Court,' stating: 'A procedure contrary to the usual procedure. I went to the office of the supervisor and inquired about this matter; they said they would carry out the procedures themselves. We expressed our readiness to assist in apprehending Mortazavi, but they said they would handle it themselves' and 'they said they would follow up through their channels. The case is not even in the hands of the execution judge, and practically Branch 2 is also following the case at a systemic level, just like us.' Mir Majid Taheri regarding the potential timing of Mortazavi's arrest and transfer to prison to serve a two-year sentence for complicity in the murder of Mohsen Rouh-al-Amini stated: 'I think if any action is to be taken, they can certainly do it themselves. After all, they have skilled agents. When a case becomes specific, they can quickly apprehend the suspect, and I don't think it would be a complicated issue unless the individual wants it to be complicated.' Of course, 'we did not expect him to come to the court and say, 'I have come to be subjected to the law,' because during the 'disputes that occurred during the proceedings, we became more familiar with him than you as journalists and the public. Based on this understanding, it was clear that Mortazavi would not comply with the issued verdict.' Shargh also reported on its front page that 'Ahmadi Moghadam is under suspicion,' stating: 'The report from the Parliament regarding the non-settlement of the police's debt from the sale of oil shipments during Ahmadinejad's government was read.' According to this newspaper, a legal dispute that has not yet yielded results was one of the main topics of the Budget and Planning Commission's report regarding oil violations during Ahmadinejad's second term (in 2012, during the peak of sanctions), which was read in Parliament on Sunday. 'Most of the report pertains to the violations of the Police Foundation during the ninth and tenth governments; in other words, the report of the non-settlement of the Police Foundation's debt to the Ministry of Oil and the import of gasoline beyond the (ceiling) of the permit during Ahmadinejad's two governments.' Part of the parliamentary report notes that 'Rostam Qasemi, the then Minister of Oil, Ahmad Ghalebani, the then CEO of the National Iranian Oil Company, and Ismail Ahmadi Moghadam, the then Commander of the Police, have been summoned to the court to investigate the Police Foundation's case and its violations as defendants,' but 'with the defense presented by the first two defendants, namely Qasemi and Ghalebani, they were acquitted, and due to the lack of defense by Ahmadi Moghadam, a lawsuit was filed against him.' This report even refers to 'the conviction of Ahmadi Moghadam.' Iran newspaper, close to the government, has reported on the determination of '33 priorities for currency allocation,' stating: 'As of April 21, the currency became single-rate, and the rate of 4200 tomans for the dollar was set. In line with the policy of unifying the currency rate, the mechanism for supplying currency has also been completely changed, so that banks have taken the place of currency exchange offices, and until further notice, currency exchange offices are not allowed to buy and sell currency or issue currency remittances.' This newspaper has written that 'with the change in the methods of currency supply and distribution, the most important question is who and under what conditions will benefit from the 4200 toman dollar? In this regard, the Central Bank has introduced the eligible groups through various announcements and circulars,' which include 'travel currency, medical currency, mission currency, and student currency,' 'selling currency to selected companies for sending pilgrims to Umrah and holy shrines in Iraq,' and 'the costs of converting the rial balances of Iranians residing abroad.' However, 'details regarding the amount of currency that can be provided for each of the above cases and the arrangements and documents required for obtaining it will be based on the circulars issued by this bank to the banking network.' Iran newspaper has simultaneously reported that Saeed Mojtahedi, the head of the Currency Exchange Association, has invited currency exchange offices to be patient until the new currency policies of the country are clarified, stating: 'A meeting will soon be held with the officials of the Central Bank regarding the future activities of currency exchange offices.' Saeed Mojtahedi emphasized that 'currency exchange offices are aligned with the government's programs in combating money laundering,' stating: 'Currency exchange offices are actively present in the global economy and cannot be eliminated; in Iran, currency exchange offices have been the economic arm of the country over the years, and it is expected that they will be patient until a clear space for their future activities is outlined.' The newspaper Sazandegi published a caricature of Saeed Mortazavi in the form of a fugitive criminal on its front page, calling the former Tehran prosecutor 'a fugitive from prison.' Kayhan, with the headline 'The government's return to the currency version of 2011 is late but necessary,' welcomed the government's and Central Bank's new actions in the currency market, stating: 'The Central Bank, in its latest action to regulate the country's monetary market, has considered 33 groups as recipients of currency, which, given the prohibition on buying and selling currency in currency exchange offices, can obtain the desired currency from banks; an action that, considering the banking problems for bringing currency into the country, is appropriate and can even be said that the current government has belatedly accepted this action.' This newspaper quoted Majid Reza Hariri, the Vice President of the Iran-China Chamber of Commerce, stating, 'It seems that an amount of about 20 billion dollars is being transferred out of the country, and in return, nothing is being imported.' It wrote: 'When the properties purchased by Iranians from Western Europe to Turkey and the southern Persian Gulf, as well as the US and Canada, are rising, it indicates that the money is sourced from somewhere, which is essentially the currencies that are being transferred out of the country and converted into towers and villas in various parts of the world.' Kayhan emphasized, 'Currently, considering that this government's action to limit currency applicants seems appropriate,' and wrote, 'The only concern regarding the increase in the 417 toman price of government currency is the increase in the cost of medicines, about which Eshaq Jahangiri has announced the 'allocation of the difference in the price of currency needed for essential goods,' stating that 'the necessary medicines will be provided as quickly as possible so that there will be no disruption in meeting the country's needs.' Mohammad Gholi Yousofi, a member of the faculty at Allameh University, wrote in a note in the newspaper Jahan San'at: 'The currency rate and the imbalances resulting from it are indicative of the country's economic problems, and identifying the root causes of the problems is fundamental for controlling fluctuations and implementing thoughtful policies to calm the market.' The author of this newspaper emphasized that 'instead of securitizing the market space, the government should seek to identify what motivates people to convert their rials into dollars and devise appropriate policies to control the market's disorder.' Etemad published the results of a research conducted under the supervision of Masoud Nili, an economic advisor to Hassan Rouhani, in its Tuesday issue as 'Results of a Credible Study on Energy Price Reform,' stating that according to this research, 'the four-year stabilization of energy carrier prices, especially gasoline and diesel, has not only led to increased pollution in metropolitan areas but has also spread poverty and constrained the government's ability to support vulnerable segments of society.' This newspaper also wrote that this research by Hassan Rouhani's economic advisor 'emphasizes that insisting on stabilizing energy prices in Iran in the long term will lead to increased consumption, increased smuggling, and various energy carriers being smuggled to neighboring countries at very low subsidized prices,' and considering the increase in currency prices and 'the rising price of each barrel of oil in global markets and the forecasts for an increase in oil prices in the coming months, it seems that keeping the prices of various fuels stable in the country has led to the government's inability to advance its construction projects and create relative prosperity due to a lack of financial resources.' Etemad also estimated the 'real price of gasoline' after the increase in the dollar price at '2250 tomans' per liter, stating: 'It is said that the government pays more than 80 trillion tomans annually in subsidies for fuel in the country. An amount equivalent to one-fourth of the annual budget of the country. Of course, this figure was based on the exchange rate of 3700 tomans, and now, after the single-rate currency of 4200 tomans, these numbers will undergo some changes. Some oil managers state that the real price of regular gasoline and super gasoline in Iran is 2000 tomans and 2050 tomans per liter, respectively, while currently, with the government-subsidized price, regular gasoline is sold at 1000 tomans and super gasoline at 1200 tomans.' Most of the newspapers close to the principlist faction have preferred to remain silent about the issue of the non-execution of the two-year prison sentence of Saeed Mortazavi, the former Tehran prosecutor, in their Tuesday issue, but the newspapers close to the reformist faction and government supporters have often dedicated one of their main headlines to this topic. The newspaper Qanoon published a photo on its front page showing a notice titled 'Under Pursuit' with a picture of Saeed Mortazavi in the streets of Tehran. This newspaper, with the headline 'People are Looking for the Convicted,' wrote: 'A criminal charged with complicity in murder roams the alleys of this country, and according to the spokesperson of the judiciary, he has not yet been arrested. We are talking about the former Tehran prosecutor, Saeed Mortazavi. These days, the people of Tehran are jokingly and seriously looking for him, and if we look at the current days of Tehran, we see advertisements for a fugitive criminal.' The newspaper Qanoon emphasized that 'perhaps the advertisements present in the city reflect the people's dissatisfaction with the judicial situation surrounding Mortazavi's case,' stating: 'Undoubtedly, the people with this creative action are not seeking to find him, but rather want to convey their demand for Mortazavi's arrest to the authorities in a mocking manner.' Jawad Abtahi, a representative and member of the Stability Front, told Iran newspaper: 'The disappearance of Mortazavi must be clarified.' This representative of the tenth parliament stated: 'We capture terrorists, spies, and ISIS members before they act, but when it comes to Mortazavi, who is right next to us, we say we couldn't catch him. Public opinion will not accept this.'