<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nThis\nweek, as the world awaited Israel\u2019s possible annexation of\nPalestinian territories, Iran\u2019s Islamic Republic remained\nrelatively quiet about the subject. In fact in recent weeks even\n\u2018moderate\u2019 Arab states, such as Kuwait and Jordan, have been\nvocal in expressing strong opposition to this dangerous possible\nmove.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nBut\nthere are good reasons for Iran\u2019s reticence. The country is in the\nmidst of yet another major crisis: an ailing dictator trying to\nensure his successor; an economic situation bordering on total\ncollapse, thanks to sanctions, as well as corruption and economic\nmismanagement; the second wave of a pandemic is taking a terrible\ntoll; not to forget the damaging consequences of a number of\nhigh-profile trials involving senior members of the clergy or their\nimmediate relatives, who held or currently hold top positions in the\ngovernment or the judiciary. They face accusations of multi-billion\ndollar corruption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nIn\naddition, news has recently been dominated by the suicide\/murder of a\nformer judge and cleric, Gholamreza Mansouri, in Bucharest. Reports\nabout his death appear alongside pictures of the luxury apartments\nand villas associated with a pending trial, where there were\nallegations of his involvement with other corrupt senior clerics and\nnon-clerics, all with connections to one or another of the many\nfactions of the Islamic Republic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nIronically,\non many news websites there are also photos of sugar workers and\nminers complaining of their families\u2019 hunger – a direct result of\nnon-payment of their wages – together with protests against\nprivatisation. The irony lies in the fact that the supreme leader,\nAli Khamenei, appears to be under the illusion that he presides over\na \u2018post-revolutionary\u2019 government – one that came to power\npromising \u2018equality\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nIn\nall this mess, the highlight of the week was Khamenei\u2019s defence of\nthe current and former heads of the country\u2019s judiciary: ayatollahs\nEbrahim Raisi and Amoli Larijani. For many years Iranians have been\naware of allegations of major corruption amongst senior figures in\nthe judiciary. However, the arrest of Larijani\u2019s former deputy,\nAkbar Tabari, in July 2019, for financial misdeeds, alongside a major\nfinancial corruption trial involving a number of senior judges\naccused of embezzlement and bribery in recent weeks, has led to\nwidespread dissatisfaction amongst ordinary Iranians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nOne\nof the co-defendants in the Tabari case was the now deceased\nGholamreza Mansouri, who had been notorious for handing down long\njail sentences to labour activists, journalists and political\nopponents of the regime. In recent years he had been in charge of\ninvestigating torture in Iranian prisons – although there were\nallegations that he himself had been responsible for such torture of\nthe regime\u2019s political opponents. With the trial looming, Mansouri\nleft Iran – the authorities accusing him of absconding with half a\nmillion euros. He initially claimed to be in Germany for medical\ntreatment, but just after the start of the Tabari trial last month he\nappeared in Bucharest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nThere\nare reports that he visited the Iranian embassy – possibly in an\nattempt to negotiate a deal to allow his return to Iran. If that was\nthe case, there was certainly no deal, as the Iranian authorities\nasked Interpol to help with his extradition. As a result, Mansouri\nwas arrested. He was due to appear in a court hearing regarding his\nextradition on July 10, but on June 19 his body was found on the\nground outside the Duke Hotel in Bucharest. Apparently he had fallen\nsix storeys. The initial investigation suggested suicide, but since\nthen doubts have arisen. There are reports that there was a packed\nsuitcase in his room, suggesting that he was preparing to flee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nHadi\nShirzad, who heads Iran\u2019s international police department, said\nlast week that according to information supplied by Interpol,\nMansouri had jumped out of his hotel window. Opponents of the regime\nsee similarities with the death of Saeed Emami, an intelligence\nofficer of the ministry of information who was accused of\nmasterminding a series of political murders in Iran. He too allegedly\ncommitted suicide, in Tehran\u2019s Evin prison, while awaiting trial in\n1999. Sections of the Iranian press suggested at the time that Emami\nhad been silenced to prevent him implicating other intelligence\nofficers. The allegation regarding Mansouri is that he was killed to\nprevent him exposing accomplices in corruption scandals engulfing\nhigh-ranking government and judicial officials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nIrrespective\nof whether the allegations are true, no-one can doubt the willingness\nof Khamenei to forgive those accused of major corruption – as long as\nthey remain loyal to him, of course. A very good example is Mohammad\nBagher Ghalibaf, who with the opening of the new majles<\/em> (Iran\u2019s\nIslamic parliament) is the new speaker. Ghalibaf always likes to\nemphasise his military and political credentials – as a trained\npilot, former mayor of Tehran, national police chief and head of the\nnational anti-trafficking headquarters. However, most Iranians\nremember the various corruption and embezzlement allegations made\nagainst him. In 2018 the majles<\/em> dealt\nwith a motion calling for an investigation of his time as mayor of\nTehran, when he allegedly granted close associates more than $500\nmillion worth of real estate in the capital\u2019s affluent suburbs at\ncut-rate prices. The parliamentary motion was dropped under pressure\nfrom conservative MPs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \nThe\nUS journal Foreign\nPolicy<\/em> was\nquick to capitalise on Ghalibaf\u2019s appointment as speaker of\nthe majles<\/em>.\nIn an article headed \u2018Corruption is a job qualification in today\u2019s\nIran\u2019, we find this claim: \u201cIran\u2019s new speaker of parliament is\nwidely known for being a crook – but a loyal one.\u201d1<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n \nHowever,\nKhamenei\u2019s support for well known corrupt officials follows its own\nlogic. The collapse of the Iran nuclear deal, the Joint Comprehensive\nPlan of Action, and the imposition of harsh new sanctions by the\nUnited States coincide with a time when Iran is facing military\nsetbacks in Syria and losing political allies in Iraq. The new\nsituation has paved the way for the ascendancy of a new hard-line\nrightwing leadership within the regime. The era of \u2018Islamic\nreformism\u2019 is coming to an end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \nEbrahim\nRaisi – a cleric and judge notorious for his involvement in the mass\nmurder of political prisoners in the late 1980s – is the new head of\nthe judiciary. Raisi, who fought and lost the presidential elections\nof 2017, is said to be Khamenei\u2019s favourite to become the next vali\nfaghih<\/em> (supreme\nleader). Raisi\u2019s anti-corruption drive – a process that started\nwith the sacking and then arrest of Akbar Tabari, former deputy head\nof the judiciary – is linked to his attempts at eliminating rivals to\nsucceed Khamenei.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \nNo\nwonder this latest attempt to \u2018root out corruption\u2019 is not taken\nseriously by most Iranians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Yassamine Mather Why attempts to \u2018root out corruption\u2019 are not taken seriously This week, as the world awaited Israel\u2019s possible annexation of Palestinian territories, Iran\u2019s Islamic Republic remained relatively quiet about the subject. In fact in recent weeks even \u2018moderate\u2019 Arab states, such as Kuwait and Jordan, have been vocal in expressing strong opposition to … <\/p>\n
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