Special Inspector Appointed by the Presidency to Investigate Billion-Dollar Land Grabbing Case

According to an Iranian parliament member, the first vice president of Hassan Rouhani has appointed a "special inspector" to follow up on a billion-dollar land grabbing case in the Heyran Pass. Kamaleddin Pir-Mohammadi, the representative of Ardabil in the parliament, announced this news on August 23 during an interview with ISNA, stating that "activities are underway to deal with offenders and to preserve the environment of the Heyran Pass through investigations into the officials of Astara and the region." On the other hand, on Thursday night, the Attorney General of Iran, along with two parliament representatives, appeared on a television program to discuss the dimensions of the billion-dollar land grabbing in the Heyran Pass. In this program, Ebrahim Raisi, the Attorney General of Iran, stated that the issue of land grabbing is not limited to the Heyran region, saying: "Currently, we are witnessing such actions in Damavand, Tehran, and various other areas as well." Mr. Raisi further announced that there would be decisive action against offenders, adding: "There is no room for leniency with land grabbers and those who violate the law; our principle is to address not only the land grabbers in each land grabbing case but also the responsible officials involved." The issue is that 100 hectares of land in this area, which is designated for agricultural use, were purchased by offenders at a low price, and they constructed buildings there using their influence without obtaining permits and licenses. The representative of Astara in the parliament, also Zero Naeimi, commented on the land grabbing in the Heyran region, stating: "It is regrettable that these violations occurred with the complicity and oversight of the local officials in Astara, and the offenders made substantial profits." Mr. Naeimi continued by stating: "The issue is that 100 hectares of land in this area, which is designated for agricultural use, were purchased by offenders at a low price, and they constructed buildings there using their influence without obtaining permits and licenses." This parliament member also responded to the question of whether any permits were obtained by these individuals, saying: "Some permits were issued, but without consulting the relevant authorities, and these permits were issued by the local officials who had influence." A few days ago, in the latest meeting of the Economic Corruption Combat Headquarters, a billion-dollar land grabbing case in the Heyran Pass in Gilan province was raised, in which the names of some former parliament representatives and ministers from the previous government appeared as suspects. In this regard, Ezzatollah Youssefian-Molla, a supervising member of parliament in the Economic Corruption Combat Headquarters, stated: "In this case, the names of some former representatives and senior government officials are seen, which is regrettable; in the Heyran land grabbing, national lands were first seized, and then billion-dollar constructions were carried out on them." "Heyran" is the name of a summer village in the Astara County located in Gilan province, situated 30 kilometers from Astara.