Motahari Confirms Arrest of Several IRGC Commanders on Corruption Charges

The Deputy Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly confirmed in an interview with the French newspaper Le Monde reports of the arrest of several senior commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on charges of financial and economic corruption. Ali Motahari stated in this interview, published on his official website on Saturday, October 1, that "arrests" have taken place within the IRGC. The original version of this interview was published in the Thursday edition of Le Monde, where the Deputy Speaker of the Iranian Parliament described the aim of the arrests over financial and economic allegations as "integrity within" the IRGC. This comes despite last December when Hossein Najat, the deputy of the IRGC Intelligence Organization, dismissed reports of the arrest of several deputies of the IRGC Intelligence Organization for "economic corruption" as "falsehoods and fabrications by some enemy-affiliated media." The Deputy Speaker revealed the news of the arrests in response to a question about a Financial Times report on corruption and arrests within the IRGC. The reputable Financial Times reported last week that "at least 12 members of the IRGC and associated businessmen" had been arrested in recent months. The detailed report also mentioned that a senior IRGC commander, referred to as the "economic brain of the IRGC," was arrested this year but was released on bail. The Financial Times did not mention any names from the IRGC or the government of Hassan Rouhani but stated that its report was based on two sources: a government official and an individual who has a familial relationship with the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic. The presence of military and security forces, including the IRGC, in the Iranian economy is a topic that Iranian officials have repeatedly acknowledged and defended. However, this issue has also faced criticism from figures close to the Iranian government, including Ali Motahari. This time, Mr. Motahari praised the "arrests" in the IRGC and stated that the "intelligence services of the IRGC" are responsible for investigations in this regard. The Financial Times report also noted that the review and restructuring of the economic branches of the IRGC are being conducted under the supervision of Mohammad Bagheri, the Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces. The newspaper characterized the recent arrests in the IRGC as "part of Hassan Rouhani's efforts to limit the IRGC's role in the economy." In this context, Hassan Rouhani stated in a meeting with economic activists in July this year: "The issuance of the policies of Article 44 was meant to transfer the economy to the people and for the government to withdraw from the economy, but what did we do? We handed over part of the economy from a government without guns to a government with guns; this is not economy and privatization." The former president added at that time: "They were afraid of that government without guns, let alone that we handed over the economy to a government that has both guns and media and has everything, and no one dares to compete with them." In his interview with Le Monde, Ali Motahari explained this point from another angle: "Following the government's policies, which the senior commanders of the IRGC have also confirmed, their economic activities should be limited to projects that the country's private sector cannot undertake. If a governmental entity can intervene in part of the economy, the private sector can no longer compete and progress." Hassan Rouhani also stated in 2014 that the monopoly and concentration of "manifestations of power" in one entity is a "factor" of corruption and said that the concentration of information, guns, and media in the hands of one entity leads to corruption. There are no accurate statistics on the actual value of the IRGC's assets and economic activities, but the Financial Times, citing several economists, estimated the value of the IRGC's economic network at about $100 billion.