The Case of 'Astronomical Properties': What Will Be Qalibaf's Fate?

The newspaper Etemad has reported on its front page about the 'order to pursue astronomical properties' and stated: 'The Minister of Interior instructed his deputies to clarify the ambiguities surrounding the case of property transfers in Tehran.' According to this newspaper, 'In continuation of the investigation into various aspects of the property transfer case by the municipality to several urban managers, city council members, and a few journalists from state media, after a denial request from 28 council members to file a complaint against the whistleblower website regarding the transfer of properties below market value to urban managers by Mohsen Sarikhani, a reformist member of the city council, Abdulreza Rahmani Fazli, the Minister of Interior, also announced the ministry's entry into the case and its thorough investigation.' Etemad noted that the Minister of Interior had informed his deputy for urban development and the head of the municipal organization about the case of 'astronomical properties' and the transfer of expensive properties to some urban managers. Abdulreza Rahmani Fazli stated: 'Regarding this issue, the Inspection Organization has conducted investigations and reached initial reports, which have been sent to the municipality for a response,' and 'the municipality must respond according to its powers and laws regarding these reports, whether its actions were in accordance with the law or not.' The newspaper also pointed out that Abdulreza Rahmani Fazli criticized 'the widespread publication of names in websites and media without proving their violations,' saying: 'When these names are publicized, it damages public trust and endangers the reputation of some individuals. However, this does not mean that if someone has committed a violation, they should not be dealt with; rather, until the issue is legally examined and a ruling is issued, it should not be brought up in society, and this does not mean hiding it from the people.' The newspaper Javan, close to the Revolutionary Guards, quoted Mehdi Hashemi, a conservative member of the tenth parliament, stating: 'The recent allegations against the Tehran municipality are political,' and 'if this issue did not have unethical roots, it should have been pursued through judicial authorities, not raised before the city council's leadership elections merely to influence the votes of council members.' This conservative representative even called for action against those who published the Inspection Organization's report on 'astronomical properties,' saying: 'Officials must pursue the ambiguities arising from the Tehran municipality and city council and take necessary and decisive action against those who spread doubts so that such unethical behaviors do not happen again.' The newspaper Javan simultaneously quoted Mohammad Ali Mohammadi Kermani, the temporary Friday prayer leader of Tehran, stating: 'We should not easily overlook the issue of astronomical payments,' emphasizing that 'the meaning of the apology from government officials is that the unconventional payments to some government managers were illegal and lacked legal standing.' The newspaper Shargh, also on its front page with the title 'Discounts at the Critical Moment of Investigation,' referred to 'the Minister of Interior's order regarding the case of property transfers by the municipality,' stating: 'The execution of the property transfer case to some urban managers with bulk discounts is taking on new dimensions every day.' This newspaper reminded that 'according to the Inspection Organization's report, the total value of these properties was transferred at least 2,200 billion tomans below their actual price.' Shargh also dedicated its front page photo to Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, the mayor of Tehran, reporting that 'a request for investigation has been submitted to the leadership of the parliament,' indicating that 21 members of the tenth parliament are pursuing the mayor's case regarding the 'astronomical properties.' Nemat Ahmad, a lawyer and legal expert, in a note titled 'About the Report of a Violation' in the newspaper Shargh, wrote about the publication of numerous headlines and reports regarding financial corruption cases in various government agencies: 'If we visit newspapers and websites, we encounter such news, with astronomical figures, indicating that systemic corruption exists within the country that requires a strong and widespread resolve to overcome.' This legal expert emphasized that 'when we read from the highest supervisory authority's report that 151 senior urban managers, five city council members, representatives from the parliament, and some individuals have received properties and lands in expensive northern city areas at unbelievable prices and long-term installments sometimes up to 60 months, what more can be said?' He assessed the actual value of the astronomical properties transferred in the Tehran municipality to be more than the figure of 2,200 billion tomans, stating: 'The Inspection Organization in its report announced the average declared prices for each square meter of properties sold to managers as two million tomans, which with a rough calculation, the actual figure of the transferred properties will not be 2,200 billion tomans,' and in this case 'we are facing organized corruption and, in reality, according to regulations, several times more than the two thousand billion tomans.' Ahmad Gholami, in the editorial of Shargh titled 'What Will This Monster Do to Qalibaf,' wrote: 'Qalibaf is approaching the end of his tenure. A man who has sat in a wealthy and powerful organization for nearly a decade will leave with a questionable record. If the recent incident, namely the exposure of the transfer or unusual gifting of properties to urban managers and some other entities had not occurred, he could have entered the political arena relying on the many services he has provided, but every day it becomes harder for Qalibaf. From this perspective, the entry of the Economic Corruption Combat Headquarters into the municipality case and the parliament's investigation of the Tehran municipality indicates an unclear and unexpected future for Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf.' The editorial writer noted that 'the Tehran municipality was as lucky for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as it was not for Qalibaf and Karbaschi,' recalling that 'Gholamhossein Karbaschi was tried and sentenced to several years in prison after going through a golden period in the municipality in 1998, and eventually, after serving two years of that sentence, he was released,' and now 'if this domino of accountability from the Tehran municipality continues seriously and consistently, it is unlikely that a pleasant future awaits Qalibaf.' Meanwhile, the newspaper Arman reported on its front page, quoting Hassan Biadi, the Secretary-General of the Young Builders of Islamic Iran Society, about the possibility of 'the simultaneous presence of Qalibaf and Ahmadinejad in next year's elections,' stating: 'The presence of Mr. Qalibaf and Mr. Ahmadinejad in the upcoming elections is very serious. If Mr. Qalibaf and Mr. Ahmadinejad participate simultaneously in the elections, the likelihood of Mr. Rouhani's failure in the elections will be high. In such a situation, the possibility that the presidential election will go to a second round is high. As a result, Mr. Ahmadinejad and Mr. Qalibaf will compete in the second round of elections.' Hassan Biadi also mentioned that 'this is while the conservatives do not introduce any other candidates besides these two,' but 'if some conservatives plan and introduce another option alongside Qalibaf and Ahmadinejad, undoubtedly, Hassan Rouhani will return to the presidency.' The newspaper Iran reported on the damages and casualties from the 'summer floods' in seven provinces, including Mazandaran, Ardabil, Golestan, and North Khorasan, stating: 'Following heavy rainfall, storms, and severe flooding that have affected more than seven provinces over the past three days, we are witnessing significant financial damages that have also created problems for the people.' According to this newspaper, in the eastern part of Golestan province, 'four people lost their lives in two separate incidents due to heavy rainfall and flooding,' and Ismail Taji, the governor of Maraveh Tappeh, confirmed this news, stating that the father, mother, and young child of the family 'Agh' from the village of 'Palchighli Aghlar' were trapped and drowned in the flood. 'Habibollah Shafaei,' the governor of Azadshahr in Golestan, also reported the death of a 70-year-old woman in the village of 'Ghazaljeh' in Azadshahr who was struck by lightning while working in a rice field. The newspaper Shahrvand reported on its front page that '12 new cities will be created in Iran,' according to statements by Mohsen Nariman, Deputy Minister of Roads and Urban Development, indicating that most new cities will be established along the country's coasts or in areas with investment potential and job creation. These cities are intended to alleviate the concentrated population in the desert areas of the country and to boost life in port cities. This newspaper pointed out that 'the astonishing growth of urbanization in Iran and the lack of appropriate urban living infrastructure have caused the people of Iran to face another problem called 'uneven population distribution.' It reminded that 'nearly 60 percent of the world's population is urbanized, while in Iran more than 73 percent of the population has become urbanized, and the World Bank has reported that the speed of urbanization in Iran is nearly double the global average, but urbanization is not the ultimate goal of the people of Iran, and the uneven distribution of facilities and budget in Iranian cities has caused migrants to pack their bags and head for metropolises and their suburbs again.' The newspaper Shahrvand, while dedicating its front page photo to 'the recurrence of ground subsidence incidents in the capital,' reported with the title 'Tehran Swallows Its Streets,' stating: 'The ground of the capital opened its mouth again and swallowed the asphalt of the street like a hungry monster.' This 'incident occurred on Friday afternoon on Eastern Payambar Street on Satari Highway, where a seven-meter pit suddenly appeared, resulting in a 206 car falling into the pit and sending the injured driver to the hospital, cutting off gas for a thousand customers in western Tehran and causing heavy traffic,' but according to this newspaper, 'after the incident, as always, the media became the field for blaming urban officials for the broken water pipe or metro excavation operations, and the cause of the incident remains unclear.' The newspaper Arman reported on new restrictions by the police for citizens regarding the use of 'torn pants to ties and bow ties.' According to this newspaper, Mousa Hosseini, the head of public security police in Fars province, stated: 'We are implementing a plan to deal with the sale of unconventional clothing in Shiraz, and in this plan, we will confront men's and women's pants that are torn or have foreign logos and flags, as well as indecent, short, tight, glassy clothing, without buttons, and with foreign writing,' labeling them as 'unconventional clothing.' Furthermore, 'compliance with Islamic appearance and dress by the managers, employees, and sellers in commercial units is mandatory, and the use of jewelry, unconventional clothing, ties, and bow ties is prohibited.' The newspaper Arman noted that 'in this plan, the confiscated unconventional clothing will be collected, destroyed, and those responsible will be dealt with according to the law, and along with the closure of the commercial unit, the compiled case will be sent to the public and revolutionary court of Shiraz.' This action comes at a time when various plans aimed at preserving hijab and chastity have been implemented in the country in recent years, but it can be said with certainty that none of these plans have been effective.' The newspaper Ebrar reported on its front page, quoting the head of the prisons organization of the judiciary, stating: 'We have three times the prison population capacity.' Asghar Jahangir emphasized that 'we have managed to stop the increasing trend,' stating: 'Prison is a place for those who are evil and create insecurity in society, and the entry of individuals with non-intentional crimes, dowries, and alimony, and those who have entered prison under the influence of these issues have complicated the organization of prisons, and for this reason, we have started a new policy that is the policy of obtaining consent,' and 'house arrest is one of the alternative punishments whose arrangements are being studied.' The newspaper Ebrar also reported the number of prisoners, stating: 'Currently, according to the latest statistics and information, we have 215,000 prisoners in the country's prisons.' In this context, 'the municipality under investigation and scrutiny,' 'the first base of underground rap music in Iran,' 'slogans and complaints against Ali Motahari,' 'the mobilization of concert opponents: 'Supporters of Alamolhoda took to the streets,' 'changing the battlefield of the proxies: war against the people in the streets of Iran,' 'the first paragraph; the responsibility of opponents and the possibility of radicalization of Iranian society,' 'the death of the last Mossad representative in Tehran amid the Iran crisis,' 'Trump: I hope there is no need for further action regarding Iran; they killed people indiscriminately,' 'the shadow of war over Tehran; 'Trump is seeking decisive military options against Iran,' 'Trump emphasizes 'stopping executions in Iran': we do not know what will happen in the future,' 'Trump says if the Islamic Republic carries out an assassination against him, 'it will be wiped off the face of the earth,' and 'the death of the last Mossad representative in Tehran amid the Iran crisis.'