Tehran Prosecutor: The Petrochemical Corruption Case Has a Significant Open Section

In the latest remarks regarding the petrochemical corruption case in Iran, Tehran Prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi announced on Tuesday that a part of this case remains 'open,' which is 'heavy' and related to 'fugitive' defendants, including Marjan Sheikh Al-Islami. According to ISNA news agency, on Tuesday, March 21, Jafari Dolatabadi also criticized media reports about the petrochemical corruption case, claiming that there is 'no embezzlement' in this case and that the defendants 'misused' the funds. He stated: 'This case has an open section and is a heavy case, with some figures being outside the country, and some defendants, like that lady, have fled the country since 2012 when the case was formed.' Jafari Dolatabadi also announced that if Sheikh Al-Islami 'returns to Iran or is pursued by Interpol, she is among the main defendants in the case.' The case involves accusations against 14 individuals, including several managers of the petrochemical trading company, although in the first two court sessions, only the charges against Reza Hamzehlou, the former CEO of the company, have been addressed. According to the indictment presented in court, Reza Hamzehlou, the first defendant in this case, has established several companies in Turkey as a business partner of Marjan Sheikh Al-Islami, another defendant in the case. The prosecutor's representative also accused Hamzehlou in the first session of instructing others to establish companies abroad to circumvent sanctions. Marjan Sheikh Al-Islami, the former CEO of the private cultural heritage news agency, was introduced as the sixth defendant in the first news from this court but has been identified as 'the main partner' of Reza Hamzehlou in court sessions. She resides in Canada, but according to the judge, 'a lawyer is present in court for this defendant and two other defendants who are not in Iran.' 'There is no embezzlement' The Tehran prosecutor also criticized media reports about this case, adding: 'A corruption case that was an opportunity for us to build trust with the people... has turned into a threat and has corrupted people's minds, claiming that everyone has stolen and embezzled.' Jafari Dolatabadi also stated that in the petrochemical trading case, 'there is no embezzlement' and that the defendants 'misused' the funds. He did not clearly explain the difference between the two in this case. According to reports and statements from Reza Hamzehlou, the first defendant in this case, the defendants have played a role in circumventing sanctions. Meanwhile, according to Jafari Dolatabadi, the defendants were supposed to import goods into Iran based on their commitments but 'did not do so and established companies in Germany, Turkey, and Dubai, depositing part of the dollars into their accounts.' He also added: 'What has become a crime is that the defendants have made personal use of the funds, with a total amount of 22 million euros and 15 million dollars, and the equivalent in rials is about 65 billion tomans.' According to the Tehran prosecutor, in the petrochemical case, the defendants were supposed to give the foreign currency resulting from the sale of petrochemical products to the Central Bank, but the defendants claim that the law did not obligate them to deliver the currency. In court, it was stated that after selling petrochemical products, the defendants kept the currency resulting from this transaction in their personal accounts abroad but purchased the equivalent in Iran through domestic sources and deposited it into the main seller's account. This case has received widespread attention on social media. Reports published on social networks and images released from the Islamic Charity Organization (Sokha), affiliated with the World Assembly of Islamic Awakening, have named Reza Hamzehlou as the CEO of this organization. The Assembly of Islamic Awakening has not denied his presidency over this affiliated organization. This institution announced on Tuesday, March 20, in a statement that Mr. Hamzehlou has been the head of the economic commission of the 'International Unity Conference' for a year, and the heads of the commissions of this conference are introduced by other institutions and 'prominent figures' of the Islamic Republic.