Tehran Prosecutor Warns Against 'Uninformed Comments' on Bakai Case

On Thursday, July 13, the Tehran Prosecutor's Office warned against 'any uninformed and unprofessional comments' regarding the case of Hamid Bakai, the executive deputy of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the tenth government. According to the IRIB news agency, the public relations office of the Tehran Prosecutor's Office stated: 'Considering the dissemination of incorrect information by some individuals regarding the arrest of Hamid Bakai, it is informed for the clarification of public opinion; he was summoned by the Tehran Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor for financial charges, and after a legal summons and refusal to appear in court, he was detained according to legal regulations and introduced to the investigation branch by judicial agents.' The statement added: 'After the defendant's appearance in the investigation branch and the understanding and obtaining of his defense and reviewing the contents of the case, he was introduced to prison due to his inability to provide bail after a legal security order was issued by the investigating judge.' Ali Akbar Javanfekr, media advisor to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, reported on Sunday, July 9, that Hamid Bakai was arrested in front of his home by the order of his former investigating judge and was imprisoned after a bail of 50 billion tomans was set and not provided. Javanfekr also stated that the reason for Bakai's arrest was the issuance of a summons and his failure to appear in court, but Bakai claimed he had not received any summons. Nevertheless, the Tehran Prosecutor's Office clarified in its statement on Thursday that all 'actions taken' regarding Hamid Bakai were 'in accordance with legal standards and respecting the rights of the accused, and any uninformed and unprofessional comments on the subject will be considered public disorder and will lead to legal action.' While the Tehran Prosecutor's Office has warned against commenting on Bakai's case, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the former president of Iran, described Bakai's arrest as 'illegal' and a 'great injustice' in a letter two days after Bakai's arrest, calling for his immediate release. In this context, Ali Akbar Javanfekr also announced on Thursday, July 13, that Hamid Bakai has gone on hunger strike in protest against his 'illegal' detention. Javanfekr emphasized that the hunger strike and the conditions of Bakai's detention 'seriously jeopardize' his health. He also stressed that the responsibility for 'any harm to Bakai's physical and mental health' lies directly with those who issued the unjust and illegal arrest order. Meanwhile, on May 30, Abdolreza Davari, an advisor to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, was also arrested and sent to Evin prison. According to reports, Davari was sentenced to six and a half years in prison for three 'comments' made by 'unknown individuals' on a Facebook page attributed to him, accused of insulting the leadership of the Islamic Republic, but this sentence was ultimately reduced to two years on appeal. Hamid Bakai was previously arrested in June 2015 on charges of 'embezzlement' and was released in January of the following year. Bakai had run for the presidential election in 2017 alongside Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, but their qualifications were rejected by the Guardian Council.