Zanjani's Lawyer: In Response to Oil Ministry's Complaint, I Will Sue This Ministry

Babak Zanjani's lawyer states that the National Oil Company has filed a complaint against him for his interviews, accusing him of "spreading falsehoods," and has announced that he will also file a complaint against the officials of the Oil Ministry on behalf of his client. On Friday, September 16, Rasul Koohpayehzadeh told Fars News Agency that he received a summons from Branch 4 of the Culture and Media Prosecutor's Office on September 13, indicating the National Oil Company's complaint against him under the title of "spreading falsehoods." Koohpayehzadeh did not provide details but attributed the complaint to his interviews with the media. He accused the Oil Ministry of taking this action to "pressure" him and "silence" him, stating that such actions are "not befitting the Oil Ministry." He also accused the Minister and officials of the Oil Ministry of making statements before a final ruling on his client's case that "could be against the law." According to Koohpayehzadeh, his client had previously asked him to sue the Oil Minister for his remarks that Zanjani "spends money in the media to write favorable articles about him," but he refrained from suing Bijan Zangeneh to avoid "creating controversy." Koohpayehzadeh added, "Now I am fulfilling my legal duty and will sue the Oil Ministry on behalf of my client to clarify who has committed any violations or spread falsehoods during this time." Previously, Koohpayehzadeh had criticized the National Iranian Oil Company, accusing its lawyers of disclosing a "confidential agreement" made during a trip by a delegation from the National Oil Company and the Central Bank to a foreign country aimed at settling Zanjani's debts. He emphasized that "it seems that there are some who do not want this case to reach a conclusion." In 2015, Koohpayehzadeh had also criticized political factions for using his client for what he called "destroying a rival." Babak Zanjani, who reportedly assisted the government of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in circumventing Western banking sanctions, was arrested on December 30, 2013, following a complaint from the Iranian Oil Ministry. Zanjani and two other defendants in the oil case have been recognized by Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court as "corrupt on earth" and sentenced to execution, restitution of property, and fines, with their case sent to the Supreme Court. The Iranian Oil Minister has stated that Zanjani's debt to the government is approximately 10 trillion tomans, and the prosecutor's indictment has accused Zanjani of having paid only "160 million euros" of the 2.7 billion euros he was obligated to pay to the oil company, using the rest for personal matters. In a recently released audio file from a phone call from prison, Zanjani accused the Tehran prosecutor's office of "fabricating a case" against him and claimed, "You took revenge for Fazel Larijani on me." Fazel Larijani is the brother of Ali and Sadegh Larijani, the heads of Iran's legislative and judicial branches. He was accused of extortion and corruption by then-President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in a public session of parliament in February 2013. Fazel Larijani has denied the corruption allegations and stated his readiness to appear in court for trial.