Spokesman of the Judicial Commission: Some Government Entities Are Involved in Smuggling

The spokesman of the Judicial Commission of the Parliament states that "some government entities" are directly or indirectly involved in smuggling. Hassan Norouzi, in an interview with Fars News Agency on Saturday (July 1), mentioned "smuggling by the daughter of one of the ministers and the business and factory ownership" of some ministers as examples of this phenomenon in Iran. Norouzi referred to "rent-seeking" and "the existence of special connections" as two factors contributing to smuggling of goods and currency in Iran, stating that "some individuals benefit from their previous work experiences in the field of smuggling goods and currency into the country." This parliamentary representative did not name any specific individual or group but added that those who "have previously worked in the banking sector or ministries or have been bought out are sometimes seen using their experiences in this regard." He also added that "unfortunately, individuals with motivation to combat smuggling of goods and currency are not selected, and on the other hand, some government entities are directly and indirectly involved in the issue of smuggling goods into the country." The issue of government entities and power holders being involved in the expansion of smuggling of goods and currency in Iran has been raised in media and speeches by various officials of the Islamic Republic for years. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, during his second presidential term, implicitly referred to the Revolutionary Guards as "brother smugglers," and Hassan Rouhani has recently criticized the Revolutionary Guards' interventions in the economic sphere implicitly. Rouhani also stated in February 2016, without naming any specific organization or institution, that "a corrupt organization that... can import smuggled goods does not allow the country to grow." Conservative rivals of Hassan Rouhani also published news during the recent presidential elections, aligned with the judiciary, regarding the involvement of the daughter of Rouhani's Minister of Education in "smuggling" clothing, which was later revealed that the ruling of acquittal for the minister's daughter was issued in this case. More than a month after this issue was raised, Hassan Norouzi once again accused the "daughter of one of the ministers" of involvement in smuggling goods but did not provide any details about her and did not present any evidence for his accusation. Political rivals in Iran continue to make countless claims against each other regarding their involvement in the phenomenon of smuggling goods and currency into Iran, and despite these tensions and political and economic claims, this phenomenon continues, and there has been no serious action taken against it. In Iran, numerous reports are published annually regarding the discovery and seizure of various smuggled goods and currency at the country's entry points, but the exact and official figure of this volume of smuggling is not available. According to responsible officials, Iran currently has 150 customs offices, from which a significant volume of smuggling of goods into the country occurs through these official channels. Smuggling of goods in Iran has become one of the most important economic problems and symbols of "corruption" in the country, and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, has called for the "burning" of smuggled goods in response to the continuation of this situation.