Reactions Continue to the Fraud of 'Kourosh Company'; Two Lawyers: Advertisers Have Legal Responsibility

Reactions to the large-scale fraud case of Kourosh Company, which received millions of tomans from citizens for selling iPhone 13 mobile phones through extensive advertising by prominent cultural and artistic figures, continue. Amirhossein Sharifian, the owner of Kourosh Company, in his first statements after leaving the country, told Amin Fardin, an internet program maker, that the number of famous figures advertising for this company exceeds 500 and confirmed that they were paid between 1 to 20 million tomans for advertising. The owner of Kourosh Company stated that his father had no cooperation with him but was arrested as his 'accomplice,' claiming that the company owes the public 'about 130 to 150 billion tomans' and at the same time alleged that 'the assets inside this company have been stolen by the people' and that his employees have been 'threatened by the victims.' Meanwhile, the judicial authority has not commented on the amount of fraud, while some media outlets have reported it to be 'up to 2 trillion tomans.' The occurrence of this fraud, which has triggered a wave of protests from victims, is notable as Kourosh Company holds an 'E-Namad' symbol, which represents electronic trust, leading citizens to trust it. In this context, according to ISNA news agency, Mehdi Asadi, the head of the Mobile Importers Association, stated that 'Kourosh Company had no import license for iPhones and obtained the phones through a domestic importing company' and had previously been 'sealed twice' and 'for reasons unknown to us, was reopened again.' One victim told the Digiato website that 'the advertisement of celebrities and the electronic trust symbol' were two factors that led him to trust Kourosh Company. Omid Salimi Bani, a lawyer, also stated to Digiato that advertisers 'have legal responsibility in this matter' and can be 'legally pursued.' Additionally, Abdol-Samad Khormshahi, a well-known lawyer, mentioned in a statement to the legal consulting group 'Dadban' that 'any entity, whether governmental or non-governmental, or individuals who facilitated the occurrence of the crime or could have prevented it but did not fulfill their duty, are responsible and must be held accountable.' Kourosh Company is not the first entity that has taken citizens' investments with unfulfilled promises, adding to the number of victims in Iran. Farhikhtegan newspaper reported that in recent years, '32 cases of fraud' have occurred in Iran, each leaving 'thousands of victims.' According to this report, 'common points in these types of frauds' include 'high inflation in the country,' 'decreased value of individuals' assets and investments,' lack of 'financial literacy in society' regarding projects that operate in this manner, and 'import prohibitions and restrictions.' Previous reports by Voice of America have mentioned several other companies, including Reyhan Tak, Rezayat Khodro, King Money, Cryptoland, and Amitis, as embezzlers and fraudsters, leading to protests from victims in various cities in Iran. Ahmad Alavi, an economic professor and researcher at Swedish universities, stated regarding the Kourosh Company fraud to Voice of America that the entire Islamic Republic governance is behind such corruption, criminality, and economic insecurity.