Sadegh Larijani Calls Ahmadinejad's Remarks Against Judiciary 'The Greatest Betrayal'

The head of Iran's judiciary, Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani, labeled former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's comments against this institution as 'the greatest betrayal' and accused him of 'drawing a sword against the system' and stating '50 lies' in just a few minutes. According to the state news agency IRNA, Larijani stated on Sunday, December 3, that 'unfortunately, in addition to external enemies, some individuals within the country are pouring water on the enemy's mill and spreading bizarre lies' and 'stabbing the country in the back.' He added, 'A gentleman who was once responsible in the country has told 50 lies against the judiciary in a few minutes.' He emphasized that 'some people consider themselves saviors and want to create a business for themselves.' The judiciary head announced that 'these individuals do not realize that these actions are treason against the Islamic Republic and the ideals of the revolution.' Furthermore, according to the Tasnim news agency, he also stated: 'Some are flapping around to defend their companions, questioning the system, and destroying the judiciary to undermine the head of the judiciary.' On December 2, Ahmadinejad accused the judiciary of 'violating the constitution' in a video interview, stating, 'If we were to have a dictatorship of the judiciary, we wouldn't have revolted.' He claimed that he had a confrontation with the head of the judiciary regarding the case of Sattar Beheshti, saying, 'I almost fought with the head of the judiciary, I shouted at them! I said you committed a crime.' Ahmadinejad also criticized the new case being formed against Hamid Baghaei and other associates for criticizing judiciary officials. In recent days, Ahmadinejad and his associates have used terms like 'oppressor,' 'dictator,' and 'deviant' regarding judiciary officials. Ahmadinejad and Baghaei have also implicitly referred to the issue of 'espionage' involving Zahra Larijani, the daughter of the judiciary head, and the cases of 'land grabbing' and financial corruption involving Mohammad Javad Larijani and Fazel Larijani, two brothers of the heads of the judiciary and the legislative branch. Judiciary officials have previously denied reports regarding the 'espionage' of the judiciary head's daughter. Regarding the 'land grabbing' of Mohammad Javad Larijani and financial corruption of Fazel Larijani, cases have been formed in previous years, but no reports on the outcomes have been published. Meanwhile, Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, the Attorney General, on December 5, in response to criticisms directed at the judiciary, described Ahmadinejad's presidency, especially the second four years of his government, as 'a collection of lawlessness' and accused Ahmadinejad of 'lying.' Two days later, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the judiciary spokesman, described Ahmadinejad's statements as containing 'dozens of lies, insults, and bluster,' and likened the former president to 'a thug' who 'had fallen out of favor for a while' and is now 'cursing' to attract attention. Ahmadinejad's and his associates' severe criticisms of the judiciary began after the formation of a court for Hamid Baghaei and the summons of Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei. While Baghaei's court sessions have been held privately, he has released videos denying the accusations against him. Baghaei and Habibollah Khorasani, the accountant of the presidency, have filed a complaint against their case judge with the disciplinary court for judges. These two Ahmadinejad managers, along with Ali Akbar Javanfekr, an advisor to the former president, have asked Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, to appoint Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, the head of the Expediency Discernment Council, to 'handle' their case. While principlist figures have supported the judiciary against Ahmadinejad, some reformist figures have questioned why he remained silent during his presidency regarding the judiciary's actions and the crackdown in 2009. In this context, Ahmadinejad told Khamenei: 'The personal exploitation of the judiciary has eliminated the opportunity for its reform.' An Ahmadinejad government official published 'documents' of gold coin gifts to high-ranking officials. Ejei accused Ahmadinejad of 'lying and bluster' and likened him to 'thugs.' Baghaei called for the resignation of Iranian judiciary officials. The Attorney General stated about Ahmadinejad: 'He speaks to the people while having a collection of lawlessness.' Ahmadinejad stated: 'We were not supposed to have a 'judiciary dictatorship.' Baghaei and Khorasani filed a complaint against their case judge. Ahmadinejad once again protested the judicial prosecution of his former managers. Three of Ahmadinejad's managers requested that their cases be reviewed by Hashemi Shahroudi.