Iran Puts Economic Corruption Defendants on Public Trial
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The first public court trial of individuals involved in major economic corruption cases in Iran was held on Saturday, with name of defendants released after Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei’s recent letter to the Judiciary chief.
In one of the court hearings, prime suspect Hamid Baqeri Darmani was on trial for involvement in a major corruption case that included fraud and embezzlement.
In another session, Iran’s former vice president Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei appeared in court for public trial.
Rahim Mashaei, former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's chief-of-staff, was arrested by police in March.
The names of defendants were made public after Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei permitted Iran’s Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani to take special measures in order to confront economic corruption and called for “swift and just” legal action against financial crimes.
In a letter to the top judge in August, Ayatollah Khamenei wrote, “Punishment of convicts of economic corruption must be carried out urgently and justly; and appropriate meticulousness must be given to the designation of sentences by courts."
Earlier, the Leader described “outright and unequivocal” treatment of economic corruption as one of the Judiciary’s major duties, stressing that confronting economic corrupts must be decisive and effective.
The Leader then urged the Judiciary to fully inform people about its measures to tackle economic corruption, saying the judicial system should let people realize the authenticity of its anti-corruption measures and turn the threats into opportunities.