
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.
Source: Tasnim