Tehran Revolutionary Court President Accuses President's Brother of Ties to a 'Banking Corruption Network'

The president of the Tehran Revolutionary Court has accused Hossein Fereydoun, the brother of President Hassan Rouhani, of having 'connections' with a 'banking corruption network' and stated that the president should have requested at least a 'life sentence' for his brother from the court. Meanwhile, the government spokesman on Tuesday criticized the 'unethical actions' of some media against the government, saying that 'only Hossein Fereydoun is not subject to the attention of some critics, but all of us in the government are subject to this attention.' Mousa Ghazanfari Abadi, the president of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, mentioned in an interview with 'Basij News Agency' on Tuesday that there are reports indicating Hossein Fereydoun's connection to this banking corruption network following the arrest of members of the network by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). He added that 'of course, I do not have precise information in this regard.' However, Ghazanfari Abadi accused Fereydoun of abusing his position as the brother and senior aide of the president in 'scientific, financial, and managerial' areas. He emphasized that the president 'should issue a heavy sentence for his brother and at least request a life sentence from the court.' This senior judicial official further stated that the president 'must be very careful in selecting individuals for the government and should quickly distance unhealthy individuals, even if they are his brother, from his surroundings.' Last week, Ali Rostegar, the former CEO of Bank Mellat, and his international deputy were arrested by the IRGC's intelligence organization, and Mohammad Ali Jafari, the commander of this military organization, accused the detainees of being members of an economic 'corruption network' that, according to him, 'some politicians' are also involved in. Some conservative media have accused Hossein Fereydoun of being a member of this 'economic corruption network.' For instance, the Tasnim news agency reported on Tuesday, alongside a photo of Fereydoun and Rostegar, that 'an Indian woman received 250 billion tomans' and 'the wife of one of the major bank debtors also received 350 billion tomans' from members of this network and are 'fleeing.' Previously, conservative media had pointed out that Rostegar was born in Sarakhs, the birthplace of Hassan Rouhani, and accused Hossein Fereydoun of playing a role in his promotion to the CEO position of Bank Mellat. Additionally, several conservative representatives in the ninth parliament, including Alireza Zakani, have repeatedly accused Hossein Fereydoun of economic corruption. The Tasnim news agency, close to the IRGC, also accused the president's brother of 'illegal' studies at Shahid Beheshti University in recent weeks, but the Organization for Educational Assessment and officials from the Ministry of Science have denied this claim. Meanwhile, the government spokesman on Tuesday responded to these reports by stating that 'only Hossein Fereydoun is not subject to the attention of some critics, but all of us in the government are subject to this attention.' He referred to the report from the Ministry of Science regarding Hossein Fereydoun's education and stated in response to other accusations against the president's brother that 'all other issues that are speculated and can be linked together are monitored by supervisory, judicial, and security authorities, and whatever the result is, we will abide by it.' Mr. Nobakht, on June 15, in response to reports published against Rouhani's government, including 'multi-hundred million tomans salaries' of several managers, mentioned the existence of a 'think tank' that, according to him, has been formed with 'political motivations' against the government and 'determines every Saturday what should happen.' Meanwhile, a day before the arrest of the former CEO of Bank Mellat, Ali Yunusi, the special assistant to the president for ethnic and religious minorities, stated that the aim of publishing the salary slips of government managers was to 'discredit' and 'distract' the government and influence the upcoming presidential elections. In this context, the government spokesman stated that a think tank has been formed against the government with motivations, and the attacks by hardliners against the government aim to incapacitate Hassan Rouhani.