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The Institute for Ethics and Economic Policy (IEEP) Fordham is a renowned Jesuit institution with over 165-year history of emphasis on ethics. |
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LOSING REFORMIST CANDIDATE CLAIMS CORRUPTION. According to
reformist candidate Mahdi Karroubi, corruption took place in the first round
of vote counting last Friday. The High Election Committee originally declared
Karroubi the runner up after Rafsanjani. Karroubi claims that as a result of
suspicious intervention in the count, his position was later given to Ahmedi
Nejat, knocking Karroubi out of the running by a margin of 650 votes. Nejat
and Rafsanjani will go through to the second round of voting this Friday,
with Rafsanjani expected to win this round as well. Meanwhile, Iranian
Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi has demanded that
President, top officials discuss anti-corruption
campaign. U.S. and Iraq Spar Over Who Should Run Corruption Inquiry Into Oil-for-Food Program. Iraq’s political leaders are sparring with the American occupation administration over who should investigate possible official and corporate corruption in the United Nations oil-for-food program. Governing Council members said they wanted to supervise any Iraqi inquiry into the oil-for-food program, and had asked the American accounting firm KPMG International in February to assemble possible evidence of alleged kickbacks and bribes paid under the now-defunct oil-for-food program. (The New York Times, May 18, 2004, summary Sherldine Tomlinson).
Ousted Iranian mayor sentenced to jail for corruption. According a state-run Tehran television, the ousted mayor of Tehran has been sentenced to five months in jail and barred from public office for abusing his position and corruption. Mohammad Hasan Malak-Madani, considered a member of the reformist faction, was elected mayor by the Tehran City Council last February. The ban imposed on Malak-Madani bars him from municipal service for five years and from other government service for three years. (Nando Times, January 24, 2003, summary by Sherldine Tomlinson).
IRAN: Iran tries to
fight corruption with dedicated committee. According to reports, Iran
is focusing on economic corruption by organising a committee dedicated to
fight corruption. The committee has been commissioned by President Mohammad
Khatami to identify “corruption-prone areas” in the executive branch. The committee is to launch an expert study
on factors that encourage economic corruption in Iran’s executive branch, and
look at the extent of the problem.
Various ministers from governmental departments are on the committee. (Asia in Focus, December 9, 2002 summary by Sherldine Tomlinson). OIL MINISTER TO
CRACK DOWN ON OIL CORRUPTION - REPORT In response to doubts and accusations
made by Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, head of a hard-line decision-making body,
the Guardian Council and Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, head of the
judiciary who thought there's link between corruption and the oil industry,
Iran's Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh, who was allegedly to be tried on
corruption charges earlier this year, is mounting a campaign to root out
corruption in the oil industry. Information on corrupt individuals performing
in the state oil industry, which was collecting, will be pass to the
judiciary for conviction, said Zanganeh. (Dow Jones Newswires, 06 Nov 2002,
summary by Hanh Vu). cleric wants to arrest all dogs. It was reported that dogs and
their owners could become the latest target of a clampdown on moral
corruption in Iran after a hard line cleric called for canines of all shapes
to be arrested. "I call on the judiciary to arrest all
long-legged, medium- legged and short-legged dogs along with their
long-legged owners," the newspaper quoted Gholamreza Hassani, a prayer
"In our country there is freedom of speech, but not freedom for
corruption," said Hassani. Hassani appeared to be widening the net of
his anti-canine campaign since last year when he thanked police for
confiscating short-legged dogs in Urumiyeh.(Yahoo News, October 15, 2002, summary by Sherldine Tomlinson). SUPREME LEADER GIVES GUIDELINES TO FIGHT ECONOMIC
CORRUPTION. Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamene’i
has issued firm guidelines to fight economic corruption. In a meeting with
members of the headquarters for fighting economic corruption comprising of heads
of the three branches of government, Chief Executive Mohammad Khatami, Head
of the Judiciary Ayatollah Mahmud Hashemi-Shahrudi and Majlis Speaker Hojjat
ol-Eslam Mehdi Karrubi, the supreme leader voiced dissatisfaction with the
slow pace of this national campaign. The leader cautioned against
politicising the national campaign. He cited that dealing with economic
corruption is a public demand, and the fight should be carried out free from
political or factional considerations to reinforce justice. The leader also assigned
the State Inspectorate Organization, the State Auditing Court and the
Information Ministry to coordinate their actions in this respect. (BBC
Monitoring Service (IRNA News Agency, Tehran), July 8, 2002, summary by
Sherldine Tomlinson).
Paper reports impending start of another anti-corruption
trial The chief judge of the Airport
Judicial Complex has announced that investigations into another financial
corruption case related to the Atlas Aviation Company will soon begin.. After
receiving information about irregularities, the Legal Department of the Oil
Ministry filed a complaint against the aviation company. It is believed that
the director of the aviation company falsified receipts in order to obtain
subsidized gasoline. The director also does not possess the necessary
qualifications for such a position and he also used fabricated seminary
documents that were accepted by the State Aviation Organization without the
required confirmation. (BBC Monitoring (Tehran Times), April 8, 2002, summary
by Sherldine Tomlinson).
GRAFT TRIAL OPENS AMIDST TRADING OF ACCUSATIONS AND RUMOURS The controversial trial of 11 Iranians, including one woman, three sons of prominent conservative clerics, the former head of the state Export Guarantee Fund and head of foreign exchange of a state bank, on corruption charges, opened in graft court yesterday. Iran’s feuding political factions have been trading accusations against each other of crime in their ranks, in the weeks leading up to this public trail of the accused. Ever since Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader and a conservative, ordered a crackdown on corruption last year, the feud between the hardliners and the supporters of the pro- reformist President, Mohammad Khatami, has been fuelled further. Rumors have been rife on the identities of those accused, and only one identity was leaked in advance, that of Shahram Jazayeri, whose testimony was heard in court yesterday. A carpet exporter with offices in Dubai, Jazayeri has been charged with giving bribes amounting to 38bn rials (3.3m pounds) and obtaining loans to the tune of 811bn rials (70m pounds) from state banks by setting up to 48 companies, most which were bogus. He has denied the allegations saying that he was a religious man and was arrested when he tried to donate money to the office of the Supreme leader, which they had rejected (Financial Times, January 24, 2002, summary by Aruna Balakrishnan).
DAILIES REPORT 60 MPS AND 11 OTHERS INVOLVED IN FINANCIAL CORRUPTION. The Iranian newspapers expose 60 MPs, one deputy minister that is now in jail and 11 offsprings of the elite, that are all connected to the case of financial-political corruption of Shahram Jazayeri, who bought his connection to other 2nd Khordad [faction] MPs. (Financial Times (Kayhan web site), January 2, 2002, summary by Monica Voitovici).
THE FIRST CASE OF FINANCIAL CORRUPTION TO BE HEARD IN COURT The PR Office of Tehran’s judiciary has announced that the first ever case of financial corruption, of a person accused of financial indiscretion and bribery, would be heard in Tehran’s general court and will be open to public, though the dates are yet to be announced. Vouching the attempts to stamp out corruption among officials regardless of their position, Mr. Hojjatoleslam Abbasali Alizadeh, the chairman of the Iranian Justice Department said that 60 cases of economic corruption had been filed and 20 are under investigation currently. He said that some officials facing corruption charges had been issued summons whilst others have also been detained until they are tried. (Tehran Times, December 27, 2001, summary by Aruna Balakrishnan).
OIL MISITER THREATENED TO APPEAR BEFORE COURT Iran’s Oil Minister, Bijan Zanganeh was threatened with arrest to appear before court on the charges of alleged misuse of Dollars 800m, usually allocated for the development of the poor southern provinces which produce most of the nation’s oil. The case is also said to be linked to big contracts that were awarded to an energy company Petro Pars. However, in the incidence of sliding oil prices, this event is expected to weaken Iran’s position in the OPEC. The move is seen by supporters of reformist President Mohammad Khatami, as a pretext used by the hardline clerics of Iran’s Supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to express displeasure over the developments in the case against Mr. Zanganeh and to undermine the reformist administration as a whole. In two other separate incidents, the Governor of the Central bank, Mohsen Nourbakhsh, and Eshaq Jahangiri, minister of mines and metals, are also believed to have attended court hearings to answer queries related to corruption allegations against them. (Financial Times, December 3, 2001, summary by Aruna Balakrishnan).
AYATOLLAH ALI KHAMENEI’S DIKTAT TO END BUREAUCRATIC CORRUPTION CLAIMS IRAN AIR’s CHIEF ENGINEER. Mr. Fereydoun Pezeshk, the head of national state-run carrier, Iran Air was put under trial following Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s order to put an end to bureaucratic corruption. A Tehran court has sentenced Fereydoun Pezeshk to eight years and his wife to five years in prison, when found guilty of accepting up to $ 2.5 million as kick- backs from foreign companies in return for providing information about business opportunities in the aviation industry in Iran. He was found spending in excess of his earnings and channeling the money to foreign banks. Three others, including his daughter Mojdeh Pezeshk were charged as accessories to the crime. Fereydoun Pezeshk has also been permanently barred from holding public office and directed to pay a fine of 40 billion rials in cash. (Irna Com, September 18, 2001, summary by Aruna Balakrishnan).
IRAN TO PROBE OIL CONTRACTS An intensification of the factional struggle between President Mohammad Khatami and the reformists close to him with the hardline rivals may result in high-profile victims on both sides. The corruption investigation relating to oil industry contracts with foreign companies is seen as a direct reposte to the investigation attempts by the reformist-majority parliament of IRIB, the state broadcast network, a bastion of power for the hardliners. (FT, July 20, 2001, summary by Marg Reynolds).
PRESIDENT SAYS CORRUPTION CHARGES ‘NOT UNEXPECTED’ Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, leading conservative cleric, announced he would inform the highest judicial authority of immense kickbacks, dubious contracts, and the names of those who had transferred millions and millions of plundered oil empire revenues to foreign accounts. The National Oil Company, NIOC, has the sole responsibility for negotiations on contracts. Mohammad Khatami, Iranian President, announced the bribery charges and stated in a letter to Bijan Namdar Zangeneh, Oil Minister, that such information should be passed on to concerned bodies rather than provoke public opinion. (IRNA/AFP, July 9, 2001, summary by Marg Reynolds)
COMMITTEE TO INVESTIGATE CORRUPTION FORMED A nine-member anti-corruption committee has been formulated at the request of the Supreme Leader, to be composed of three representatives from each the government, the judiciary, and Parliament. (Tehran Times, May 28, 2001, summary by Marg Reynolds).
IRAN’S SUPREME LEADER CALLS FOR ANTI-CORRUPTION DRIVE Ayatollah Al Khomeni stated tough action to eradicate rampant financial and economic corruption will create confidence and encourage investors rather than lead to economic uncertainty and capital flight as suggested by critics of his reform plans. The conservative-led courts have been accused of targeting reformist officials in the anti-graft drive. Khameni appoints the leaders of many government bodies and state-affiliated foundations. Mohammad Khatami, President, has not announced his intent of re-election as leader of the reformist government in the presidential election next month. (CNN.com (Reuters), May 2, 2001, summary by Marg Reynolds).
COURT
OFFICIALS CHARGED ON CHARGES OF CORRUPTION
Ayatollah Mahmoud Shahroudi, head of Iran’s judiciary, announced the
creation of a ‘special inspectorate’
of the courts to deal with bribery and other corruption. Judges and court clerks were amongst the
40 people recently arrested in what Shahroudi claimed last year to be a
‘ruined judiciary’. (Yahoo News, AP,
Dec. 31, 2000, summary by Marg Reynolds). 40
JUDGES AND COURT OFFICIALS ARRESTED ON CORRUPTION CHARGES. A ‘special
inspectorate’ has been set up to investigate and deal with cases of bribery
and possible conspiracies and corruption in the courts. Judiciary Chief, Ayatollah Mahmoud
Shahroudi has promised to develop a ‘ruined judiciary’ and corruption charges
have been leveled against judges, court clerks and middlemen by the Security
and Intelligence Department.
Shahroudi closed approximately 30 pro-reform newspapers and arrested
tens of reformist writers and political activists who claim that judiciary
development as meant ‘development of arrests and closures’ in practice. (DJ
Newswires, Dec. 31, 2000, summary by Marg Reynolds).
The Index of Economic Freedom (by Driscoll-Holmes-Kirkpatrick) for 2001 places Iran in the “Repressed” category with a rank of 151 (Ranks range from 1 for Hong Kong to 155 for North Korea, Wall Street Journal, Nov. 1, 2000). H. D. Vinod’s trimmed correlation analysis indicates that countries free from economic regulation are less corrupt. After allowing for some exceptions by 20% trimming, the correlation is near 0.9. |
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Design:
Theo den Brinker |
Copyright:
Hrishikesh D. Vinod 2000 |
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