The Combatant Clergy Society Calls for Investigation into Ahmadinejad's Cases

The spokesperson of the Combatant Clergy Society, one of the main conservative organizations, called on the judiciary of the Islamic Republic to investigate the cases of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the former president of Iran. Gholamreza Mesbahi Moghadam stated on Tuesday evening, August 7, to reporters in Tehran that during Ahmadinejad's presidency, "numerous violations occurred; including the incorrect implementation of the subsidy targeting law, for which the oversight commission submitted reports to the parliament twice, each indicating 12 violations in the implementation of the law." He added, "When the parliament examined these violations, they should have been pursued by the Court of Audit and the judiciary, and a report should have been submitted to the Leader of the Revolution to determine whether he was worthy of continuing to serve in the presidency or not." According to Fars News Agency, Mesbahi Moghadam further stated, "These violations are still prosecutable, and we request the judiciary to address this issue, and the demand of the Combatant Clergy Society is to prioritize Ahmadinejad's cases." On August 8, the head of the Court of Audit announced in an interview with Etemad newspaper that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had been convicted in seven cases related to his presidency, which angered him and led him to threaten to expose information. The amount of financial violations attributed to the former president in these seven cases has been reported to exceed "7 trillion tomans," although Fayyaz Shajai, the head of the Court of Audit, stated that "Mr. Ahmadinejad will never acquire as much as 7 trillion tomans to be seized and returned to the treasury." In response to these statements and the arrest of Hamid Bakhaei, his executive deputy on charges of "financial corruption," Ahmadinejad threatened to expose what he called "the power and wealth mafia." He stated, "Since our complaints of defamation and accusations have not been addressed in recent years," he intends to reveal "a complete account of the original story and the unethical conspiracies designed." The spokesperson of the Combatant Clergy Society, which includes some judiciary officials, reacted to Ahmadinejad's threats, stating that he "repeatedly claimed during his presidency that he had a list of corrupt individuals in his pocket, but it was never revealed, and if such a list exists, it should be presented to the judiciary." Mesbahi Moghadam added, "He made statements in Khuzestan that could be interpreted in various ways, which prompted the Combatant Clergy Society to take a stance on this action." His reference was to Ahmadinejad's controversial remarks on April 2 in Ahvaz, where he stated without naming anyone: "Those who think the nation does not understand are the most ignorant people on earth. What kind of royalty has emerged in some people... mobilizing to tell the nation that subsidies are bad and not to accept them? 97 percent want something, why are you acting against the nation? 80 million people do not understand, but you do, this very nation elevated you." Some analysts and officials in Iran interpreted these remarks as directed at Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, while others saw it as directed at Hassan Rouhani, the president of Iran. Despite the fact that four years have passed since Ahmadinejad's presidency ended, the Iranian judiciary has not yet provided a report on the potential investigation of his financial cases, with the spokesperson of the judiciary merely stating, "Ahmadinejad's case is open." While Iranian officials and media have repeatedly discussed the serious cases against the former president and criticized his recent statements during the arrest of Hamid Bakhaei, he continues to be invited to various events hosted by the leader of the Islamic Republic. On August 3, he was also invited to the ceremony for the confirmation of Hassan Rouhani's second term as president, which was hosted by the leader of Iran.