Zangeneh: 2 trillion tomans paid from 3.5 billion dollars owed by Zanjani

Iran's Minister of Oil states that, according to the ministry's expert opinion, nearly 2 trillion tomans have been paid from Babak Zanjani's debt. Bijan Zangeneh emphasized that the total debt of the Ministry of Oil, including interest, exceeds 3.5 billion dollars. According to the news agency 'House of the Nation,' affiliated with the Iranian parliament, Zangeneh said on December 19 that 'the grace period and leniency that the Islamic Republic has shown towards Babak Zanjani is not unlimited and endless' and he must 'return this money to the Ministry of Oil by a certain time.' Babak Zanjani was sentenced to death for 'corruption on earth' during a case that led to his arrest in 2013. His death sentence was confirmed by the Supreme Court of the country on December 4. IRNA reports that Zanjani has repeatedly promised to pay his debt, but these promises have never materialized. However, some officials in Hassan Rouhani's government, including Zangeneh, have stated that Zanjani's execution would eliminate the 'black box' of the case and close the door on his debt recovery. Zangeneh had previously stated that the value of this billionaire's assets, close to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's government, is not equal to his debts. On the other hand, Zanjani's lawyer stated that 'trustees' of Zanjani's assets abroad are unwilling to return his assets after learning of his death sentence. IRNA reports that over the years, 'investigations' by the Central Bank have shown that Zanjani's accounts in banks in Europe and Asia, which were introduced by his partners to pay his debts, are 'empty.' Iranian judicial officials have stated in some cases that Zanjani's 'cooperation' would affect his sentence. Three days after his death sentence was confirmed by the Supreme Court, Ali Larijani, the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, stated that if he had cooperated with the government to return the assets, he would not have received the death penalty. In the prosecutor's indictment, Zanjani is accused of having paid '160 million euros' of the 2.7 billion euros he was obliged to pay to the oil company and spending the rest on personal matters.