Tehran Prosecutor: Interrogation of the 'Black Box' in Babak Zanjani Case Begins

Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi, the Tehran prosecutor, announced on Tuesday the commencement of the interrogation of a suspect involved in cooperation with Babak Zanjani, referring to this suspect as the 'black box' of Zanjani's case. According to the Tehran Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor's Office, Jafari Dolatabadi stated that the suspect played a role in the buying and selling of oil shipments related to Babak Zanjani and had established a bank in Malaysia for this purpose. The Tehran prosecutor mentioned that the suspect was able to obtain the operating license for the First Islamic International Bank (FIIB) for Zanjani's 'criminal activities.' Jafari Dolatabadi did not disclose the identity of the detained suspect. Meanwhile, in recent days, Iranian law enforcement officials have reported the arrest and extradition of a suspect linked to Babak Zanjani. The head of Interpol in Iran stated on Sunday, January 26, that 'one of the main actors in the large oil corruption case' was tracked and arrested in a Central American country with the cooperation of local police. He added that this individual had been 'identified and arrested' in Malaysia but had escaped due to 'collusions.' Iranian media have identified this individual as Alireza Ziba Halat Monfared, and Babak Zanjani's lawyer has stated that he is 'one of the main and related actors' in his client's case. The Tehran prosecutor expressed hope that 'investigating this suspect will provide necessary leads to uncover the funds resulting from the sale of oil shipments to Babak Zanjani.' Jafari Dolatabadi explained that the suspect is considered the 'black box' of Babak Zanjani's criminal activities regarding obtaining the operating license and purchasing the FIIB. After Zanjani's arrest, the suspect refused to return to the country, having met Zanjani in 2010 and leveraged his influence in Malaysia to obtain the operating license for the FIIB for Zanjani's criminal activities. He added that the suspect, using his connections and receiving 500 million tomans as a fee, purchased the bank for Babak Zanjani for four million dollars. Zanjani also purchased the Kont Bank in Tajikistan, justifying it as a means to facilitate payments for contractors of the National Iranian Oil Company abroad, successfully transferring both banks to Bank Mellat for 160 million euros. The Tehran prosecutor pointed out that Zanjani's oil funds, which were supposed to be paid to contractors according to the oil contract, were given to Bank Mellat, which was later traced back to show that this individual used government funds to pay debts under the name of Bank Mellat, and these funds have been seized by the prosecutor's office at the Central Bank. Bijan Namdar Zanganeh, Iran's oil minister, has accused Babak Zanjani of receiving 2.7 billion dollars in collaboration with several ministers and the head of the Central Bank in the previous administration, depositing it into his 'fake bank account' in Malaysia, which ultimately 'disappeared.' The official news agency of the judiciary, Mizan, also reported that during the twentieth session of Babak Zanjani's trial, when the topic of a 50 million dollar storage fee related to oil shipments delivered to Zanjani was discussed, the name of Mr. Ziba Halat Monfared was mentioned. In the prosecutor's indictment, Babak Zanjani is accused of having paid only 160 million euros out of the 2.7 billion euros he was obligated to pay to the oil company, spending the rest on personal matters. Babak Zanjani was sentenced to death for 'corruption on earth' during a case that led to his arrest in 2013, and this sentence was confirmed by the Supreme Court on December 4 of last year. In this context, Zanjani's lawyer stated that a definitive decision in his client's case depends on the interrogation of 'Ziba Halat.' The Ministry of Intelligence responded to criticisms from the judiciary, stating that '700 million dollars of Babak Zanjani's assets have been identified.' The Iranian prosecutor stated that it is unlikely that Babak Zanjani's death sentence will be reduced. Zanganeh mentioned that out of the 3.5 billion dollars owed by Zanjani, two thousand billion tomans have been paid.