Supreme Court Rejects Ahmadinejad's Deputy's Request for Case Re-examination

The defense attorney for Hamid Baghaei, former deputy of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, stated that the request for a re-examination of his client's case by the Supreme Court of Iran was rejected, and he will "again file for retrial based on new evidence." Mehran Abdollahpour announced on Sunday, July 14, in an interview with IRNA news agency: "Despite the lengthy process of reviewing my client's retrial request, it was opposed, while the deputy prosecutor of the Supreme Court had previously stated that my client was not guilty in at least two instances." The attorney noted that the deputy prosecutor mentioned that in the case of "IRGC currencies and Iranian University," no violation or crime had "actually occurred." Nevertheless, according to Mr. Abdollahpour, in court, the request for retrial was rejected on the grounds that the Supreme Court does not engage in "formal entry into cases." The accusations against Hamid Baghaei include "requesting a total bonus of 300 million tomans for 16 government members," "assistance to the Iranian International University," "support for the Iranian House Organization," "aid to the state newspaper Iran," and "collusion in contracts and transactions of five companies." According to the Tehran prosecutor's office, Mr. Baghaei is accused of "embezzling" 3 million 766 thousand euros and 590 thousand dollars from funds delivered to him by the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. He has denied these accusations. According to IRNA, Baghaei's attorney added that due to the court's disregard for his arguments in the ruling, "we will again request a retrial to prove my client's innocence and will use all legal and judicial avenues to establish his innocence." Baghaei's retrial request was reviewed in Branch 40 of the Supreme Court, which, after studying the case, did not accept the retrial request. Hamid Baghaei, who has been sentenced to 15 years in prison, was arrested on March 13, 2018, to serve his sentence and was transferred to prison, where he reportedly went on a hunger strike. After a week of leave, he returned to Evin Prison on June 8 and, according to the Telegram channel "Dolat Bahar," close to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, resumed his hunger strike. Before returning to Evin Prison, Baghaei challenged judicial officials' comments about his good physical condition by publishing nude photos of his upper body. These photos were shared on the "Dolat Bahar" Telegram channel and indicated his severe weight loss. According to IRNA, Baghaei stated that the only way to end his hunger strike was through "fair handling of the case and the judicial authorities' agreement to a retrial and holding a public trial." The news agency noted that Baghaei was summoned and arrested on June 8, 2015, by the complaint of Hassan Rouhani's government and was released six months later on January 17 of the same year after an appropriate bail was issued. In this context, Baghaei resumed his hunger strike after returning to Evin. Ahmadinejad's former advisor stated that Baghaei's physical condition has reached a critical point. Baghaei's attorney mentioned that they are seeking to address the issue in international forums for justice. Ahmadinejad claimed that Baghaei's whistleblowers were under pressure and even wrote a letter to the leader. Ahmadinejad's office called for action for those subjected to "injustice and oppression" by the judiciary. Baghaei stated that he does not intend to commit suicide and is on a hunger strike.