Mortazavi: I Committed No Violations in Social Security

Saeed Mortazavi, former CEO of the Social Security Organization and former prosecutor of Tehran, stated on Friday, February 13, that during his management of the Social Security Organization, he committed 'no violations' and that his actions were legal. Speaking on the sidelines of the memorial service for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's mother, Mortazavi said: 'There are no violations on my part regarding the Social Security Organization, as all our actions were based on the law and the decisions of the board of trustees and the board of directors.' The former CEO also mentioned that a series of rumors and false claims, including that 137 companies were handed over to Babak Zanjani by the organization, were spread with the aim of creating false propaganda and psychological warfare. He added that now that Babak Zanjani has been arrested, it has become clear that not even a matchstick was left from the Social Security Organization with him. Mortazavi attributed the delay in the handling of his case related to the Social Security Organization to a change in the investigator and stated that this is why the hearing for his case has been postponed. While Mortazavi cited the change of investigator as one reason for the delay in the issuance of a verdict in his case, in December of this year, Saeed Zamaniyan Dehkordi, a member of the investigative committee for the Social Security Organization, stated that 'this case is very extensive and will reach a final conclusion by the end of 1394 (March 2016).' According to Fars news agency, this committee member added that several individuals related to this case, including Babak Zanjani, have been summoned and have provided explanations. Alireza Mohajoub, head of the investigative committee for the Social Security Organization, also reported to Shargh that 'nearly 70 individuals related to Saeed Mortazavi's case have been summoned to court.' The investigative committee of the parliament accused Mortazavi of extensive financial violations amounting to billions of tomans on December 4 of last year. Mortazavi was a close associate of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the former president of Iran, whose appointment as head of the Social Security Organization in 2011 sparked a wave of opposition. Ahmad Tavakoli, a principlist member of parliament, questioned why a suspended judge should become the head of the Social Security Organization. Following the parliament's opposition to Mortazavi's continued work, the Minister of Labor was impeached and dismissed. Reports indicate that on December 3, after Mortazavi's appearance in the prosecutor's office, a bail of two billion tomans was issued for him due to the 'violations of the Social Security Organization' case. In November of this year, the Supreme Court also upheld a judicial ruling against Saeed Mortazavi, the former Tehran prosecutor, related to the case of the deaths of protesters in the Kahrizak detention center. According to this ruling, Mortazavi was permanently banned from the judiciary and prohibited from holding government positions for five years.