Uncertainty for Victims of Kourosh Company; Judiciary: Famous Figures Must Return Advertising Revenue to the Government

Despite thousands of complaints from victims of Kourosh Company, the judiciary states that some movable assets of the company have been seized and famous figures must return the income they received from advertising for it to the government fund. Masoud Setayesh, spokesman for the judiciary of the Islamic Republic, said on Tuesday, February 19, during his weekly press conference about 'Kourosh Company,' which has recently been in the news for its financial corruption case, that the CEO of this company 'left the country five months ago' before judicial agents got involved in the case. According to ISNA news agency and this judicial official, 'the Ministry of Intelligence has reported this case,' and the investigation began in November of this year; currently, Amir Hossein Sharifian 'is being pursued for fraud,' and 'movable assets of this company,' including 'boats in Kish Island,' have been seized. While Amir Hossein Sharifian, the owner of Kourosh Company, announced that his father had been arrested in this case, the judiciary spokesman stated without mentioning the relationship that 'one of the associates of the CEO of this company' who was 'attempting to sell and transfer' his assets has been 'arrested on charges of complicity in fraud.' According to the judiciary, so far '1,500 people in Tehran' have filed complaints against Kourosh Company, and with the identification and seizure of the company's assets, 'actions will be taken to distribute the assets among the victims.' Additionally, Setayesh emphasized that 'artistic and sports figures' who advertised for Kourosh Company 'must return the amounts they received for advertising for this company to the government fund.' Meanwhile, unofficial reports indicate that the victims of Kourosh Company are still in uncertainty, and several of them have committed suicide following the announcement of the fraud and the fleeing of its owner. Some users have also published documents showing that the judiciary charges '230,000 tomans' for registering each complaint in this case 'as a service fee.' Furthermore, according to Tasnim news agency, citing Abolfazl Nasiri, the director general of company registration at the registration organization, the name Kourosh Company is essentially 'fake,' and Amir Hossein Sharifian has registered a company called 'Kourosh Pardazan Aisa.' Previously, the Farhikhtegan newspaper reported that in recent years, '32 cases of fraud' have occurred in Iran, each leaving 'thousands of victims.' Meanwhile, judicial officials of the Islamic Republic impose punishments, including amputation of fingers, for minor theft cases. According to previous reports from VOA, the names of numerous other companies, including Reyhan Tak, Rezayat Khodro, King Money, Cryptoland, and Amitis, have been mentioned as embezzlers and fraudsters, leading to protests from victims in various cities in Iran. Ahmad Alavi, an economic professor and researcher at Swedish universities, stated about the fraud of 'Kourosh Company' to VOA that the entire Islamic Republic regime is behind such cases of corruption, crime, and economic insecurity.