The Acquittal of the Minister of Education's Daughter is Finalized

On Tuesday, June 5, the Secretary of the Commission for Combating Smuggling of Goods and Currency in Tehran Province announced the finalization of the acquittal of the Minister of Education's daughter on charges of clothing smuggling. Ali Akbar Pour Ahmad Nejad told the Tasnim news agency that the acquittal was issued by the Organization for Trade and Economic Sanctions after investigations were conducted. He added that since there was no objection to the initial ruling in this case, the ruling is definitive. He also mentioned that the Attorney General's Office is following up on this case and may want to review the matter 'from a national perspective.' Many conservatives and some judicial officials have repeatedly protested the issuance of this ruling in recent weeks, raising questions and doubts about the investigation process. The news of clothing imports by the daughter of the Minister of Education during the 12th presidential election campaign had become a controversial topic. This news was initially published by some conservative media, and a few days later, Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei, the First Deputy of the Judiciary, stated that the company 'Amitis Taravat Koodaki' belonged to Fakhruddin Ahmadi Ashteyani and his family. Mohseni Ejei stated that the company's violation was 'importing a shipment of clothing using the commercial card of another company.' This judicial official expressed 'surprise' that the Organization for Trade and Economic Sanctions, which is under government oversight, had ruled within less than 48 hours that the discovered goods were not smuggled and acquitted the Minister of Education's family. On May 7, Hassan Rouhani reacted to these statements, saying he would not allow a house that he described as 'should be a house of justice' to become 'a house of accusation and lies.' Eshaq Jahangiri, the First Vice President of Iran, also emphasized the 'legality' of the importation of this shipment during a televised debate on May 7, assessing the issue at this level as the 'victimization of the government.' Meanwhile, two days after the statements of the Iranian Judiciary spokesperson, Ali Larijani, the Speaker of Parliament, requested the Commission on Article 90 to investigate the Minister of Education's membership in the board of directors of a private company. Mr. Larijani added that Article 141 of the Constitution prohibits government employees from serving on the boards and as managers of private companies. Judicial officials refer to Fakhruddin Ahmadi Danesh Ashteyani, the Minister of Education, as the Chairman of the Board and to Zahra Ahmadi Danesh Ashteyani, his daughter, as the CEO of the 'Amitis Taravat Koodaki' company.