Pezeshkian Introduces Two 'Economic Defendants' as His Deputies

The President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in the continuation of forming his government, made several new appointments, including Hamid PourMohammadi as the head of the Organization for Planning and Budget, whose name has come up in an economic case and was detained for a while. Masoud Pezeshkian, who has not yet introduced his cabinet to the Islamic Consultative Assembly, on Sunday, August 14, appointed Ali Tayebnia as his senior advisor and Shahram Dabiri as his deputy for parliamentary affairs. Mr. Tayebnia was the Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance from 2013 to 2016 in Hassan Rouhani's government and has been a member of the Monetary and Credit Council at various times. He was considered the most serious candidate for Pezeshkian's first deputy, but ultimately Mohammad Reza Aref was chosen for this position. Shahram Dabiri, who is a professor at Tabriz University, has a history of membership in the Tabriz City Council and the Supreme Council of Provinces. The IRNA news agency reported in June 2020 that Mr. Dabiri was arrested by the IRGC Intelligence for financial corruption while serving as the head of the Tabriz City Council. However, Iranian media later reported that he was acquitted of these charges and even his qualifications for the sixth term of the city council elections were confirmed. The most notable appointment by the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran on Sunday was the introduction of Hamid PourMohammadi as Pezeshkian's deputy and head of the Organization for Planning and Budget, whose name was mentioned in the early November 2011 embezzlement case of 'three thousand billion tomans' and was detained for a while, but was released on bail in late December of that year. In this case, the names of seven banks and several government officials, including Mr. PourMohammadi, were mentioned, creating a lot of uproar in Iran's political atmosphere. During the investigation of this embezzlement case, Meh-Afarid Khosravi, the main shareholder of Arya Bank, was executed as the main defendant in the case. Hamid PourMohammadi, who has experience working in the Ministry of Economy and the Organization for Planning and Budget, even rose to the position of Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of the Islamic Republic during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's government. According to the newspaper Sazandegi, Mr. PourMohammadi is more of an economic technician and somehow connects past governments to the fourteenth government.