Protests Against 'Dirty Money' Accusations: Officials Must Provide Evidence

While a member of the Iranian Parliament's presiding board protests recent statements by the Minister of Justice, claiming that government officials have not provided any evidence of 'dirty money entering elections', another representative stated that vote buying and selling has 'tangible examples' in the country and is 'common' in some regions. According to the Tabnak website, Mostafa Afzali Fard, a member of the Parliament's Article 90 Commission, said on Saturday, April 29, that vote buying and selling is considered 'normal' in some areas of the country, to the extent that even officials show no desire to combat it. He added, 'Officials claim that this issue has become widespread and cannot be countered anymore, and in fact, they consider this act a normal occurrence that happens in every election...'. This parliament member emphasized that there have been 'many' such incidents in the past, stating, 'We have seen and reported many examples of these cases... Those who have engaged in vote buying and selling, as far as I know, have not been able to enter the Parliament because they were arrested.' Mr. Afzali Fard did not provide further details about the individuals he claimed were arrested for vote buying and selling. Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, the Iranian Minister of Interior, stated on Saturday, February 21, 2015, that part of the money related to drug trafficking 'enters politics and is used in the form of election assistance and decision-making'. He also clarified on Thursday, March 5, 2015, that he did not say 'the current elections are problematic', but rather warned that 'those with dirty money want to create a safe haven for themselves'. However, another minister in Hassan Rouhani's government, Mostafa Pourmohammadi, the Minister of Justice, went further on Thursday, April 16, emphasizing the entry of 'dirty money into elections' and announced the renewed pursuit of drafting a law to oversee election expenses and combat the influx of dirty money into the political arena. This led to criticism from Hossein Sobhaninia, a member of the Parliament's presiding board, who criticized the repetition of the term 'dirty money' by government ministers, stating that these remarks have 'brought negative effects to society'. According to the House of Representatives news agency, Mr. Sobhaninia emphasized that the claims of the Ministers of Interior and Justice and some other government officials are only 'words' and that 'no evidence' has been provided in this regard so far. Meanwhile, Akbar Turkan, a senior advisor to Hassan Rouhani, emphasized the government officials' claims regarding 'the issue of dirty money', stating that the Minister of Interior discussed these matters with some members of Parliament in a meeting. Previously, the statements by the Iranian Minister of Interior regarding 'the entry of dirty money into politics' had led to protests from the Speaker and several members of Parliament, with 30 representatives signing a letter requesting his summons to Parliament to explain his statements. Mr. Rahmani Fazli has also expressed his readiness to attend Parliament and provide explanations to representatives. Meanwhile, Iraj Nadimi, a representative from Lahijan, stated that the Parliament welcomes the Minister of Interior's approach to report on 'dirty money'. According to Mr. Nadimi, there is no need for an invitation for the Minister of Interior to attend Parliament, and he can announce his readiness to attend in writing.