Oil Minister: Babak Zanjani has embezzled 7 trillion tomans of the country's money

The Iranian Oil Minister described Babak Zanjani's failure to return oil sale revenues to the country as one of the "rarities of our time" and accused him of having "embezzled" 7 trillion tomans of the country's money. He also announced the existence of "other corruption cases in the oil sector," with figures amounting to 400 billion tomans and 2.5 billion euros. Concurrently, the Tehran Public Prosecutor announced that Zanjani's case, which consists of "more than a thousand pages," will soon go to court. According to ISNA, Bijan Zanganeh, the Iranian Oil Minister, stated on Tuesday, December 8, at the "National Conference on Improving Administrative Health," that from 1985 to 2010, not a single oil shipment was sold without the money being returned. He added, "The occurrence of what Babak Zanjani did is one of the rarities of our time, fundamentally based on circumventing laws and individual decisions." Zanganeh indicated that more than 8 trillion tomans were taken out of the country in this action, adding, "However, less than 1 trillion tomans of this money may return to the country, therefore the country's money has been embezzled." Additionally, according to the state news agency IRNA, the Oil Minister pointed out that this case does not end here and is very large, stating, "There are other corruption cases in the oil sector with figures equal to 400 billion tomans and 2.5 billion euros." Zanganeh had previously accused Zanjani on August 12 of receiving 2.7 billion dollars in collaboration with several ministers and the head of the Central Bank in the previous government, which was deposited into his "fake bank account" in Malaysia and ultimately this money "has disappeared." Mostafa Pourmohammadi, the Justice Minister, reported on September 6 about the unknown fate of more than "two-thirds of Zanjani's debt" to the government, stating that Zanjani's debt is about 8.6 trillion tomans, with less than one-third of it being inside the country. Zanganeh continued his remarks by stating that fighting corruption requires "iron shoes and a steel will," adding, "The sale or export of crude oil, transactions and purchasing contracts, smuggling of petroleum products, land ownership, and the expertise of buyers are among the most important choke points of corruption in the oil sector." He considered the establishment of an anti-corruption headquarters, centralizing oil sales in international affairs, appointing a supervisory board for oil sales, transparency in conducting transactions and purchasing contracts, and access for contractors to the minister and deputy as actions taken to combat corruption. The Oil Minister said, "Although sanctions force us to deviate somewhat from conventional regulations, we must adjust regulations suitable for those conditions and ensure that oversight is pursued rigorously." According to reports, oil sales by the police and other individuals like Babak Zanjani were carried out due to Iran's oil sanctions and the reduction of Iran's oil sales during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's government. Mohsen Qamsari, the Deputy for International Affairs of the National Iranian Oil Company, stated on July 4 that Babak Zanjani and the police, who were responsible for selling part of the country's crude oil and gas condensates in the previous government, have been unable to sell the shipments, and most of Zanjani's debt is due to the costs of maintaining these shipments on ships. Concurrently with Zanganeh's remarks, Abbas Jafari Dowlatabadi, the Tehran Public Prosecutor, announced that Babak Zanjani's case, prepared by the investigator with "more than a thousand pages," will soon go to court. According to Fars News Agency, he also mentioned that currently about 110 economic convicts with "high amounts" are serving their sentences in prison. A member of the parliamentary committee following up on Babak Zanjani's case stated on October 6 that Zanjani continues his "embezzlements without any obstacles" from prison; he also reported the involvement of several officials from the previous government in Zanjani's case. In this context, the European Union has re-sanctioned Babak Zanjani and Sharif University, linking Rahim Mashaei and Babak Zanjani to a "400 million dollar violation."