Tehran Prosecutor Threatens Legal Action Against Disseminators of News on Judicial Personal Accounts

The Tehran prosecutor has once again threatened to pursue those who disseminate news about the personal accounts of the judiciary, stating that the issue of these accounts was first raised during the trial of Gholamhossein Karbaschi, the then mayor of Tehran, in 1998, and that its re-emergence is 'noteworthy.' According to a report by Fars News Agency on Saturday, December 6, Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi stated that the accounts in question were first opened in 1994 during the presidency of Ali Razini over the judiciary of Tehran 'in accordance with religious and legal guidelines and with the necessary permits in the name of the judiciary.' He emphasized that senior officials are 'well aware' of these accounts and know that the principal deposits in the bank are safeguarded and cannot be accessed. The Tehran prosecutor reiterated that the issue of these accounts was raised during Karbaschi's trial against some officials of the judiciary and that its re-emergence is 'noteworthy.' Gholamhossein Karbaschi, the mayor of Tehran, was arrested in 1998 on financial charges and his trial sessions were held from June 7 to July 10, 1999, presided over by Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the current first deputy of the judiciary. The public atmosphere was influenced for weeks by this court and the ruling issued for Mr. Karbaschi. Among the allegations in this case was the transfer of funds from the municipality's account to a personal account for use in the elections for the fifth parliament and the presidential election. On August 15 of the same year, just days after a request for appeal was submitted for the initial ruling in this case, media outlets published the text of a letter from Mohsen Nourbakhsh, the then head of the Central Bank, revealing that 3.5 billion tomans from the judiciary's funds had been deposited into the personal account of Ali Razini, the head of the judiciary of Tehran. This letter was sent to Mohammad Khatami, the then president, on August 27. The Tehran prosecutor also threatened on Saturday that interviews by some individuals within the country with an internet television station, which he claimed is 'supported by certain problematic groups and individuals,' as well as support for disseminators of 'false news,' especially after the interview with the Minister of Economy on this matter, are 'subject to legal pursuit.' Mr. Jafari Dolatabadi had previously threatened that he would take action against media outlets that publish 'false' news about the judiciary's accounts, even if quoting official sources. In his remarks on Saturday, the Tehran prosecutor did not mention the name of the television network or the individuals who, according to him, had interviewed with this network from within Iran, but this could refer to an interview with Faezah Hashemi on the internet television 'Darti TV.' Simultaneously, the Mizan news agency, affiliated with the judiciary, also reported on Faezah Hashemi's interview with this network and criticized her support for the publication of reports regarding the deposit of judiciary funds into the 'personal' account of the head of the judiciary. In recent days, Faezah Hashemi described the Tehran prosecutor's threat against those reporting on the deposit of judiciary funds into a 'personal' account as 'illegal.' She emphasized that discussing this issue is not problematic, as the head of the judiciary can explain about these accounts, and if there is no issue with these accounts, the matter will end, and if there is a problem, it should be addressed. Faezah Hashemi also defended the remarks of Mahmoud Sadeghi, a representative from Tehran in the parliament, and his request for the head of the judiciary to explain about these accounts. Mahmoud Sadeghi, on Tuesday, November 16, made remarks that were met with a strong reaction from the head of the judiciary, requesting him to explain the published reports regarding the deposit of funds from the judiciary into a 'personal account.' Following Sadeqi Lari's reaction to this issue, Mr. Sadeghi wrote a letter to him expressing concern about the 'spread of administrative and financial corruption in all institutions,' emphasizing that this issue has arisen due to 'some negligence, mismanagement, expediency considerations, and insufficient attention to transparency in expenditures and incomes.' This parliament member reported on Saturday that he has been summoned to the prosecutor's office, but the reason for his summons is the 'complaint of the prosecutor's office' regarding his statements 'about Yashar Soltani.'