Voice of America Exposé Confirmed; Arrest of Children of Deputy Chief Justice on Charges of 'Corruption'

Media in Iran have confirmed the arrest of two children of the Deputy Chief Justice following allegations of 'economic abuse and corruption' that have intensified in recent days. According to the Tasnim news agency, affiliated with security institutions, the two children were arrested during the investigation of an individual named 'Rostami Safa', described as 'one of the major bank debtors'. The Farhikhtegan newspaper, linked to Azad University, also reported that these arrests occurred eight months ago. The narratives from Tasnim and Farhikhtegan are structured to convey to the audience the 'anti-corruption' stance of senior judicial officials in the Islamic Republic. Corruption within the judiciary of the Islamic Republic has been a concern for civil activists and independent lawyers for decades, and occasionally some cases become public. Each time a case of corruption related to the judiciary is made public, it quickly turns into a propaganda program to promote the 'anti-corruption' efforts of the Islamic Republic's officials. The news of the arrest of the children of Mohammad Mosaddegh Kohanmoei, the Deputy Chief Justice, was first revealed in the 'Final Page' program of Voice of America, until Masoud Setayesh, the spokesperson for the judiciary, mentioned last week in a press conference the arrest of 'two children of one of the judiciary officials' without naming them. Tasnim finally confirmed the arrest of the two sons of this senior judicial official, claiming that this case 'was raised eight months ago and Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei referred it to the judiciary's protection and the IRGC intelligence due to considerations.' According to published reports, 'eight people have been arrested so far' in this case, two of whom are the children of the Deputy Chief Justice. Tasnim claims that the trace of one of the major bank debtors, named 'Rostami Safa', is also seen in this case. The Rostami Safa case was one of the 'major cases' in the judiciary, with a verdict issued in August of this year. Based on the rulings in this case, Mohammad Rostami Safa was sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment, deprivation of any government services, and 'return of property to the national banking network' amounting to 181 million and 754 thousand euros, 96 million and 276 thousand dollars, one billion and 514 million and 696 thousand Japanese yen, and 19 thousand and 497 billion and 192 million and 656 thousand rials. Mehdi Rostami Safa was sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment, and Amirhossein Rostami Safa to 12 years of imprisonment and deprivation of any government services and participation in 'returning property with Mohammad Rostami Safa to the national banking network.' The children of Mohammad Mosaddegh Kohanmoei have been arrested while he has played a significant role in the judiciary over the past decade as 'the Deputy Chief Prosecutor during the presidency of Sadegh Larijani, the Legal Deputy of the Head of the Judiciary, and the Head of the Administrative Justice Court during the presidency of Ebrahim Raisi in the Judiciary.' In recent decades, independent lawyers and political and civil prisoners have repeatedly spoken about the influence of institutions or officials in cases, and in many instances, complaints were filed in the disciplinary court of judges, but with no significant results. The case of Akbar Tabari, who held senior judicial positions for over a decade, including the executive deputy of the head of the judiciary, is one of the extensive corruption cases in the judiciary system, which ultimately, despite being convicted in court, received rulings that allowed him to benefit from the 'flexibility' of his former colleagues in the judiciary in executing those rulings. Tabari was on leave until just a few weeks ago while many political prisoners in the Islamic Republic's prisons have not benefited from leave for decades. The issue of the arrest of the children of the current Deputy Chief Justice of the Islamic Republic has also become a topic in the narratives of official Iranian media in recent days, referred to as an example of the 'anti-corruption' efforts of senior judicial officials. It is still unclear why the judiciary officials of the Islamic Republic decided to make the arrest of the Deputy Chief Justice's children public after eight months.