Spokesman for Rouhani's Campaign: Qalibaf Should Explain His Son's Business Activities

While the Iranian Minister of Education has called for a televised response regarding accusations made by Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf against his daughter's business activities, the spokesman for Hassan Rouhani's election campaign has requested that Mr. Qalibaf also explain his son's "business activities." In the election debate on Friday, May 5, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf repeated claims from several conservative media outlets about the "discovery of smuggled goods" in the home of the Minister of Education's daughter. This issue, which Mr. Qalibaf had previously mentioned in a television program, elicited a reaction from Eshaq Jahangiri. On Saturday, Fakhruddin Danesh Ashteyani, the Minister of Education in Rouhani's government, wrote a letter to the head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), demanding a response to these accusations in a televised program. Simultaneously, the ISNA news agency quoted Mohammad Ali Vakili, spokesman for Mr. Rouhani's election campaign, stating that according to an official court ruling, the Minister of Education's child has been "officially acquitted," and the allegations against the Minister's child also apply to Mr. Qalibaf's child. Mr. Vakili added that the "business activities" of Mr. Qalibaf's child, both domestically and internationally, and his "educational and non-profit activities" are "well-known," provided that these activities do not utilize the advantages of being the child of the mayor. Previously, reports had emerged regarding the economic activities of Elyas Qalibaf, son of Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, the mayor of Tehran. For instance, Ensaf News reported that Elyas Qalibaf is the CEO of the "Shams al-Shumus" institute, which has its headquarters and a private elementary and preschool located on a relatively large plot of land in the Saadat Abad area. Additionally, in 2015, reports surfaced about Elyas Qalibaf's involvement in a corruption case related to the Police Cooperative Foundation. In this regard, the Khabar Online website reported on May 18, 2015, mentioning the former police chief's connection to the discovery of "financial corruption amounting to 1.2 trillion tomans" in the Police Cooperative Foundation, stating that there were also "rumors" about the connection between Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and some Revolutionary Guard commanders who had gone to the police force with him concerning this case. At that time, there were also reports about the "arrest" of the mayor's son in this matter and his "escape to Abu Dhabi" after being released on bail, but these reports were denied by Gholamhossein Mohseni Eje'i, the spokesman for Iran's judiciary. Qalibaf's campaign threatened to sue the Minister of Interior. However, another action by Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf regarding the launch of a website titled "Karaneh" for registering job seekers has also triggered reactions from Hassan Rouhani's government officials. In this context, Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, the Minister of Interior, stated on Saturday that this action is "illegal and has elements of bribery and the appearance of vote buying." Mr. Rahmani Fazli added that this issue will be investigated with the presence of a representative from the prosecutor's office. However, Mr. Qalibaf's campaign has labeled the Minister's statements as "criminal" and threatened to sue him. According to this campaign, "vote buying and selling is limited to polling stations and election day and has no connection to candidates' programs." The statement also emphasized that the Minister of Interior should report any potential violations to the Central Supervisory Board and the prosecutor and should not disclose it in a press interview. Previously, Mr. Qalibaf had promised that if he wins the election, he would pay job seekers 250,000 tomans monthly, and in this context, on Thursday, May 4, he launched the "Karaneh" website for job seekers to register. Although hours after the launch of this website, Mahmoud Rezavi, a close associate of Mr. Qalibaf, reported that the website was taken down due to "cyber attacks." One day before the launch of Mr. Qalibaf's "Karaneh" website, the Minister of Labor in Rouhani's government had promised that in the coming days, the "Kaj" website would be launched for job seekers to register. This plan involves participants undergoing internships in economic enterprises, during which the government will pay their insurance.