Request Letter for Disclosure of Names of 170 Parliament Members Sent to Judiciary

A member of parliament announced the sending of a request letter to the judiciary for the disclosure of the names of 170 members of the eighth parliament who received money from Mohammad Reza Rahimi. Simultaneously, Mr. Rahimi's lawyer stated that his client does not intend to disclose the names of these representatives. According to Kamal al-Din Pir-Moazzen, a representative from Ardabil, a letter has been prepared with the signatures of 20 to 23 representatives, and the number of signatures is increasing to reveal the names of the representatives who received money. He stated on Wednesday, February 15, in an interview with the state-affiliated news agency, that he asked the speaker of parliament about the status of this letter, and Ali Larijani responded that he has referred the matter to the head of the judiciary for necessary action. Mohammad Reza Rahimi, the former first vice president of Iran, announced on February 7 that the main accusation against him was the payment of money to 170 members of the eighth parliament for election campaigns. He stated that he had paid a total of 1.2 billion tomans to nearly 170 candidates through an individual named Jaber Abdali, who is accused of embezzlement from Iran Insurance, and that documents and copies of issued checks are recorded in the case file. The sending of the letter by the members of parliament to the Iranian judiciary is due to the fact that the documents and evidence of Mr. Rahimi's payments are in the possession of this authority. Ebrahim Aghamohammadi, a member of the National Security Commission of the parliament, stated that the authority to disclose these names is not in the hands of the parliament and must have a legal ruling behind it. He called on relevant authorities to publish the names and details of how the money was received if they deem it appropriate. Ahmad Aryaeinejad, a representative from Malayer, also stated that the details of this issue should be announced, and individuals have the right to defend themselves. On February 8, reports were published about the request to disclose the names of representatives who received money from the first vice president of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's government, but the letter prepared in this regard was torn by its designers in parliament. 30 representatives had signed that letter. This development comes as Mr. Rahimi's lawyer, Mohammad Reza Naderi, stated on Wednesday to the state news agency IRNA that his client does not intend to disclose the names of the representatives who received money. He added that 'there is no necessity to announce the names of these individuals.' Mr. Naderi also responded to the question of whether a notification has been issued for the execution of Mohammad Reza Rahimi's sentence, saying that this matter is currently in administrative procedures and no notification has yet arrived for them. The case of the former first vice president of Iran was referred to the Tehran Criminal Court last year with the issuance of an indictment, where he was sentenced to 15 years in prison and 4 billion tomans in restitution and fines in the first court. However, the Supreme Court reduced Mr. Rahimi's prison sentence to five years but sentenced him to permanent dismissal from public service and 5 billion tomans in restitution and fines. Despite the final and enforceable nature of the Supreme Court's ruling, Mr. Rahimi's lawyer announced on February 14 that he had submitted a request for retrial regarding the ruling issued about his client to the Supreme Court. Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the spokesman for the Iranian judiciary, described the main accusations against the first vice president of the tenth government as 'bribery and obtaining illegal property.' Alongside the continued reactions to Mohammad Reza Rahimi's ruling and his letter, the principlist website 'Alif' called for the trial of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Ahmad Tavakoli, a representative from Tehran in the parliament, who manages this site, defended the site's note on Wednesday, stating, 'Anyone who has broken the law should be tried, and in my opinion, Ahmadinejad has been a lawbreaker.' In this context, the request for Ahmadinejad's trial coincides with the request for the retrial of Rahimi. Eshaq Jahangiri: The greatest corruption of the century occurred in the past administration. Rahimi's letter indicates 'government and judiciary interference' in elections. Ahmadinejad's office: Rahimi's accusations have no connection to the ninth administration. Rahimi to Ahmadinejad: I will bear the consequences of your obstinacies and loss of face. The spokesman for the Iranian judiciary announced the details of Mohammad Reza Rahimi's ruling. The letter introducing the 170 representatives who 'received money from Rahimi' was torn.