Sources Close to Ahmadinejad Deny Arrest of Rahim Mashaei

"A close source" to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the former President of Iran, and websites affiliated with him have denied reports regarding the presence of Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, the former head of the President's office, in court and his arrest. According to reports from Young Journalists Club, affiliated with the Islamic Republic's broadcasting organization, some media outlets had reported that Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei quietly entered the Revolutionary Court at Qasr Intersection last Sunday and was immediately confined to a room by the court president's order. Based on this report, Mr. Mashaei was summoned to court to respond to a "new embezzlement case apparently related" to the interrogations of Hamid Baqai, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's executive deputy, and "it is still unclear whether he returned home after interrogation or was transferred to prison under arrest." After these reports were published, websites close to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, including the "Maidan 72" website, denied these news reports and stated that Mr. Mashaei had not been in Tehran for several days and that Hamid Baqai's case was not being heard in the Revolutionary Court. Meanwhile, Young Journalists Club also reported on Wednesday, July 31, citing "a close source" to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, denying these reports. Hamid Baqai, the head of Free Trade Zones and Ahmadinejad's executive deputy, has also been detained since Tuesday, June 18. In 2011, following the arrest of Alireza Moqimi, Ali-Asghar Parhizkar, and Azadeh Ardakani, heads of the Arvand and Aras Free Zones and the head of the National Museum of Iran, who were named as close associates of Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei and Hamid Baqai, rumors about the potential arrest of these two individuals on charges of financial misconduct also emerged. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reacted to these rumors by declaring his cabinet a "red line" and stated that "if they want to interfere with it, I must perform my legal duty." Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei was appointed as the first vice president in 2009 but was removed from this position due to opposition from the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic. Afterward, Ahmadinejad appointed Mashaei as his chief of staff. Mr. Mashaei was also a candidate in the 2013 presidential election but was disqualified. Over the years, numerous allegations have been made against Mr. Mashaei by members of parliament and some media outlets. For instance, Moyid Hosseini Sadr, a member of the Industries Commission of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, previously reported a "$400 million embezzlement" in Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's government, stating that the recipient of this government fund was a "close friend of Babak Zanjani" and was "ordered" by Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, Ahmadinejad's chief of staff. Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the spokesman of the judiciary, confirmed in 2011 that Enayatollah Riahi, one of the defendants in the embezzlement case from Iran's insurance, is a relative of Mr. Mashaei.