Supreme Court Confirms 12-Year Sentence for Akbar Tabari Despite His Release

A few weeks after the announcement of Akbar Tabari's release, the Supreme Court confirmed his sentence of 12 and a half years in prison and 74 lashes on Friday, July 30. Akbar Tabari, who served for nearly two decades as a senior financial and executive official in the judiciary during the presidencies of Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi and Sadegh Larijani, was sentenced to 58 years in prison three years ago on charges including bribery and money laundering. However, following comments by Gholamali Mohammadi, head of the Prisons Organization, regarding Tabari's absence from prison, the judiciary announced on July 8 without providing any explanations that Tabari had been released 'within the framework of legal standards.' The publication of this news faced widespread criticism and raised issues regarding the government's discriminatory treatment of defendants categorized as 'insiders' and 'outsiders.' For instance, the Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers' Trade Associations compared Tabari's release with the continued imprisonment of Ismail Abdi, a jailed teacher, questioning whether the judicial laws recognize insiders and outsiders or if some citizens are more equal than others. Earlier reports had also indicated a significant reduction in Tabari's bail from 10 billion tomans to 300 million tomans and a leave connected to his release. Although the public relations office of the Prisons Organization and the media center of the judiciary denied these reports, emphasizing that Tabari was 'serving his sentence in Evin Prison.' Saeed Dehghan, a lawyer and human rights activist, noted in an interview with Voice of America that prisoners affiliated with the regime enjoy 'all facilities, rights, and benefits during their sentences' and that these defendants are 'often pardoned quickly.' Akbar Tabari has consistently denied allegations of financial corruption, claiming he has done nothing but 'honest service.' According to the latest report from Transparency International, Iran ranks 147th out of 180 countries in terms of corruption. Iran's unsuccessful performance in combating administrative, political, and economic corruption has placed it lower than countries such as Uganda, Mozambique, and Pakistan on Transparency International's list. The release of Akbar Tabari from prison has led users to question judicial justice. The comments from judiciary officials have sparked controversy; insiders are neither granted leave nor are they in prison. Exclusive from Evin: Political prisoners and the underprivileged are in dire conditions; financial prisoners live luxuriously. The release of Akbar Tabari and the continued imprisonment of Ismail Abdi has led to protests from cultural organizations regarding the dual treatment. The release of Mehdi Hashemi, Akbar Tabari, and Mohammad Ali Najafi; Shahram Ghazai and Babak Zanjani remain in prison. The Iranian Minister of Justice has denied the widespread nature of financial corruption, stating that there is only a 'feeling of corruption.'