Iran’s embezzlers in power
Iran, June 11, 2018 - Theft and embezzlement is embedded to such an extent among senior Iranian regime officials that state media refer to this issue every now and then in their ongoing internal disputes, described as “dogfighting” in Iran’s politics.
The most recent remarks in this regard came from Hossein Raghfar, an economist with close ties to the regime.
“Many embezzlers have been in power and the grounds for them fleeing the country can be easily provided,” he said according to the state ILNA news agency.
Theft in billions
One example of silent embezzlement, robbing ordinary Iranians, involved 150 trillion rials from the Teachers Savings Fund. This is equivalent to $3.57 billion from a fund apparently established to support for the country’s teachers.
The main source of this Fund is provided through five percent of the member teachers’ wages and pensions. More than 800,000 teachers across the country are members of this entity.
Jabbar Kuchakinezad, head of the Investigation Committee in the Iranian regime’s parliament, referred to a report read out on the floor shedding light on embezzlement from this fund involved the $3.57 billion.
“It is possible that when the judiciary gets access to this case and begins summoning different people, rest assured the figure involved could be increased,” he said.
Three levers
Those involved in these cases of embezzlement are operatives enjoying access to three different assets: money, information and contacts with people in power.
Those close to powerful political and economic figures enjoy more opportunity to be involved with significant cases of embezzlement.
Famous embezzlers such as Gholam Hossein Karbaschi, Fazel Khodadad, Shahram Jazaeri, Meh Afarid Khosravi, Babak Zanjani and Mohammad Reza Rahimi saw their involvement revealed as a result of the regime’s domestic disputes.
Other such individuals are immediately flown out of the country. One example involves Iran’s Bank Melli chief Mohammad Reza Khavari who fled to Canada after embezzling 30 trillion rials (around $715 million).
Kuchakinezad also mentions another embezzlement suspect fleeing Iran to Germany with around $119 million. (State Tasnim news agency)
Recently an Oil Company director’s embezzlement has also been unveiled after his fleeing to abroad.
According to Assadollah Qarekhani, another member of the Iranian regime’s parliament, an individual involved in embezzling $23.8 million was able to flee the country only three hours after the case had been unveiled. (Parliament news agency)
Judiciary cooperation
In addition to link to people in power enabling embezzlers steal from public property, cooperation from the judiciary also allows these thefts by the ruling regime to continue as we speak.
“The judiciary failing to take adequate action against embezzlers will lead to the further growth of corruption,” according to the Iranian regime’s deputy speaker of parliament.
“In the past few decades, when has the judiciary actually taken adequate action against government officials involved in violations and embezzlement?” he asked. (State ILNA news agency)
As a result, any expectations for the mullahs’ regime to end its embezzling of the people’s property and savings is completely futile.
While senior Iranian regime officials are involved in enormous cases of embezzlement and theft, over 20 million people are living in slums and suffering from poverty and hunger. 30 percent of Iranians are hungry and cannot even provide bread for themselves.
The country’s army of unemployed people, working children and the homeless that have nowhere to go instead of a grave and sleeping in the streets, pose a very dangerous threat for the regime.
This is a keg that may burst at any moment.
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