Reaction to Former Lawyer of Akbar Tabari's Statements; Judiciary: Claims are 'Inaccurate and Incorrect'

The judiciary of the Islamic Republic of Iran reacted to the statements of Akbar Tabari's former lawyer, who has been accused of 'large-scale financial corruption' and reported extensive violations in this case. They announced that 'with the issuance of a 12.5-year prison sentence and its confirmation by the Supreme Court, he must serve this punishment, taking into account his previous detention and return to prison.' The judiciary emphasized that this conviction is for the charge of 'bribery' and he must remain in prison 'until the status of his other cases is clarified.' Mohammad Ali Dadashi, Tabari's former defense attorney, in an interview with the first issue of the '9 Day' publication in Qom, stated that 'Tabari obtained a retrial and acquittal with forged documents,' adding, 'Based on what I saw in the case, if I don’t have a stroke and die, I consider myself lucky.' According to this lawyer, the assets resulting from Tabari's 'corruption and bribery' amount to approximately '15 trillion tomans,' but according to the judiciary's announcement, he is currently free on a '300 billion toman' bail. Dadashi also mentioned, 'Based on my experience with the case, they emphasized 45 months or at most four years, and it totaled 12 years, meaning if this ruling is confirmed by the Supreme Court, Mr. Tabari will not return to prison.' On the other hand, the media center of the judiciary referred to Mohammad Ali Dadashi as 'someone who introduces himself as Tabari's former lawyer,' while according to official images from Tabari's court sessions, he was present alongside the defendant as his lawyer. The media center of the Iranian judiciary further claimed that Akbar Tabari has 'other types of charges and convictions that are currently under judicial review.' Akbar Tabari, a former senior official of the Islamic Republic's judiciary, was arrested on July 23, 2019, on charges including 'forming a bribery network as a ringleader,' 'money laundering,' 'forgery of documents,' and 'exerting influence in judicial cases.' Official reports state that Tabari was tried in 14 sessions in Branch 5 of the Tehran Criminal Court, presided over by 'Judge Babaei,' and Gholamhossein Esmaeili, the former spokesman for the judiciary, announced on September 22, 2020, that he was sentenced to '31 years in prison.' At that time, it was announced that Tabari faced '10 charges,' of which the court found him 'guilty' in '8 cases' and 'not guilty' in two. The case of this former senior judiciary official has once again attracted public and media attention because Gholamali Mohammadi, the head of the Islamic Republic's prisons organization, announced on July 8 that Tabari's absence from prison was due to his release 'within the framework of legal standards,' without providing any explanation. The news of Akbar Tabari's release from prison coincided with a new wave of crackdowns on political protesters and social activists, provoking many reactions in society and the media; social media users also questioned 'judicial justice' in the Islamic Republic and wrote about numerous violations of defendants' rights, the denial of leave to many prisoners, and the existence of systemic discrimination in the judiciary's structure. Former lawyer of Akbar Tabari: He was guilty and could have received the death penalty, but is now free. The release of Akbar Tabari from prison; users questioned judicial justice. Moein Khazaeli: The release of Tabari and Najafi is an abuse of the law and contrary to the customary practices of the judiciary. The judiciary's comments became controversial; convicted individuals are neither granted leave nor are they in prison. The Supreme Court confirmed his 12-year prison sentence despite Akbar Tabari's release. The release of Mehdi Hashemi, Akbar Tabari, and Mohammad Ali Najafi; Shahram Jazayeri and Babak Zanjani remain in prison.