PourMohammadi: Khuzestan Steel Was Transferred to Meh Afarin Khosravi on Ahmadinejad and Mashaei's Recommendation

Iran's Minister of Justice, Mostafa PourMohammadi, accused former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his chief of staff Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei of having ordered in writing that the Khuzestan Steel Company be transferred 'outside of auction' to Meh Afarin Khosravi, who is implicated in a 3 trillion tomans corruption case. In an interview with the Iran newspaper on Tuesday, October 6, he also stated that during his presidency over the Inspection Organization, files regarding some of Ahmadinejad's 'violations' in various production, construction, and road projects, as well as the sale of factories and affiliated companies without auction, were prepared and sent to the judiciary for review. PourMohammadi emphasized that Mashaei's 'connection' to the 3 trillion tomans corruption case is 'undeniable,' stating that as the President's chief of staff, he made 'recommendations and supports' for the Meh Afarin Khosravi group, which 'did not deserve it.' He referred to the transfer of Khuzestan Steel to Khosravi's group, adding, 'The letter from the then-President and also Mashaei's letter... are part of the documents. He wrote that this factory should be given to them (the 3 trillion tomans defendants) outside of auction.' He also mentioned that Mashaei recommended in writing that the Ramsar to Noor road project be transferred 'in barter' and 'without evaluation, pricing, and without tender' to Khosravi's group. On Wednesday, August 14, PourMohammadi had also accused Mashaei of having a 'significant role' in the 3 trillion tomans corruption case, including the transfer of Khuzestan Steel and the project of converting the Chalus road to Noor to Khosravi's group. In his remarks on Tuesday, he spoke not only about Mashaei's role but also about Ahmadinejad's involvement in this case. Previously, Mashaei's name had been mentioned in the 3 trillion tomans embezzlement trial and also in the Shahindiz phenomenon, and Mashaei's letter for the transfer of Khuzestan Steel shares without legal auction procedures to Amir Mansour Arya's group was also published on news websites. Iranian media have referred to Eynollah Riahi, one of the defendants in this embezzlement, as Mashaei's nephew. Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the judiciary spokesperson, also confirmed in November 2011 that he is related to Mashaei. In this interview, PourMohammadi also responded to a question about Ahmadinejad's court case, saying, 'I saw somewhere that it was said that currently no case of any president is under review... Well, this seems unfair to me, because we in the Inspection Organization... sent files regarding financial issues and violations in some production, construction, road projects, and also the sale of factories and affiliated companies without auction to the judiciary for review.' He added, 'I think it is inappropriate for us not to address the cases of violations of individuals at any level.' Ahmadinejad's case in the Tehran Criminal Court has been open for several years, and the Shargh newspaper had previously reported the existence of '23 complaints against Ahmadinejad in the judiciary,' including complaints from the parliament. Meanwhile, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei stated on Sunday, July 13, that the former president's case 'has not been forgotten' and that the court needs time to gather evidence. Mohsen Eftekhari, head of the Tehran Criminal Court, stated on May 25 that after 'months,' 'no agency' has responded to the court's inquiries regarding the former president's case. The first session of Ahmadinejad's court was held on December 5, 2013, in Branch 76 of the Tehran Criminal Court, without his or his lawyer's presence, and the judge ultimately ordered the session to be renewed. Shortly after Hassan Rouhani's victory in the 2013 presidential election, Ahmadinejad was summoned to court, but the judiciary spokesperson described the summons as 'bad taste' and stated that the judiciary officials were not aware of this issue. Meanwhile, Mahmoud Sadeghi, a representative from Tehran, claimed on Tuesday that the former president has a 'definitive conviction of 12 trillion tomans' in the country's Court of Audit. Sadeghi had also reported in July of this year the formation of 'three cases' in the Court of Audit against Ahmadinejad and stated that a ruling had even been issued in this regard, but this ruling is not being executed. With the coming to power of the eleventh government, several managers from the ninth and tenth governments, including Hamid Bakhaei, Ahmadinejad's executive assistant, were arrested, and Mohammad Reza Rahimi, Ahmadinejad's first deputy, was sentenced to prison for economic corruption. On Tuesday, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic explicitly opposed Ahmadinejad's candidacy in the 2017 presidential election, and Ahmadinejad also wrote in a letter to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Tuesday that he would not run in accordance with his directives.