ICBPS- The spokesperson of the Islamic judiciary in Iran on Saturday announced that the former executive deputy of the judiciary has been sentenced to jail for bribery.
Former executive deputy of judiciary system Akbar Tabari received the jail term after being convicted of “setting up and heading a bribery network”, according to the judiciary spokesman, Gholamhossein Esmaili.
As one of the heaviest sentences, Akbar Tabari, who served in a number of senior roles in Iran’s judiciary, was sentenced to 31 years in prison for corruption.
Further, Tehran’s Islamic Criminal Court ordered Tabari to pay more than 430 billion rials ($1.65 million) in fines. It also ordered the seizure of illegally acquired properties, according to the news.
The Islamic Supreme Court has confirmed the sentence.
The former top official was also found guilty of money-laundering, for which he was sentenced to 12 years and ordered to pay about 600 billion rials ($2.3 million), declared Esmaili.
Other charges against Akbar Tabari include “forgery of official documents and misuse of documents” and “tried to acts of influence on officials”.
The high-profile trial of Tabari opened in June alongside 21 other defendants.
According to Esmaili, the Supreme Court did not rule on the “money laundering” charge because they need to be re-examined.
Akbar Tabari was the Director-General of Finance of the Judiciary during the presidency of Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, and then he appointed as the Executive Vice President of the Judiciary under the presidency of Sadegh Larijani.

Iran Administrative Corruption

In late November, the head of the Judiciary Intelligence Center in Iran announced that at least 12 members of the department had been arrested over corruption charges, allegedly for receiving bribes. Iran Administrative Corruption

Further, the Judiciary Department declared “at least 18 lawyers were arrested for trying to pay bribes to influence, and in this case, a professional broker also was arrested.”

In late September, the Islamic Judiciary has allegedly arrested a group of mayors in Iran over reported corruption charges.

A group of mayors in Tehran province, including Lavasan, Shahriar, and Rudehen, were reportedly arrested on corruption, which was defined as bribery, forgery, fraud, and making counterfeit bills according to state-run media. The defendants were gone under interrogation at custody.

In mid-September, the Islamic Attorney General in Bushehr announced that the City Council administrator had been arrested over corruption charges.

Speaking with reporters, the Attorney General Ali Hassanpour declared that the judiciary system issued an arrest warrant for an Iran City Council official over corruption charges and Abouzar Dehdar, Bushehr City Council supervisor.

Iran City Council administrator is currently under interrogation at detention, according to state-run Tabnak News Agency.

In August, the judiciary department declared that it arrested five other municipality employees in Bushehr, southern Iran, and those for alleged bribery and embezzlement.

Early September, the Islamic Judiciary office in Mazandaran announced that a former municipal administrator had been arrested over corruption charges.

In a statement, the Islamic judicial system expressed that it issued an arrest warrant for Abdolhamid Farzaneh, the former supervisor in Sari municipality, and a broker in connection with top officials.

They were arrested for alleged charges of “embezzlement,” “bribery,” “damage or destruction of state property,” according to the judiciary.

The CEO of Mazandaran Gas Company was arrested on charges of “financial corruption” by the Islamic security agents, Mehr News reported on October 23.

Previously, seven members of the Saqqez City Council were reportedly suspended for alleged investigation over corruption.

In mid-September, the ICBPS was informed that the Islamic judiciary arrested 25 administrators and rural municipalities employees over corruption charges.

The experts, however, believe that the so-called anti-corruption campaign works as a political pressure against rivals and other parties. 

Some political figures and entities have also been accused of failing to return the high-value assets of the Mostazafan Foundation.

The Islamic Republic of Iran’s top officials are the main source of economic problems in the country as the head of Mostazafan Foundation – in an interview with state-run TV in Aug – disclosed some aspects of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s institutionalized corruption.

Giant financial institutions, owning 60% of Iran’s national assets — under control of Mullah the Great Ali Khamenei — are tax-deducted.

Corruption Perceptions in Iran index has dropped as it’s the 146 least corrupt nation out of 180 countries, according to the 2019 Corruption Perceptions Index reported by Transparency International.

Since the serious rights violater, Ebrahim Raisi was appointed as head of the country’s judiciary, the so-called anti-corruption campaign has continued its alleged mission to purify the Islamic regime and arrested hundreds of mid-level administrators, not top corrupt-officials. 

Raisi, known as the ‘Executor Ayatollah’ for his role in 1988 mass executions, followed in Larijani’s footsteps to annihilate his rivals.

Iran, however, ranks among the most corrupt countries. Iran’s Administrative Corruption has increased dramatically in recent years.

 Iran slips in the Corruption Perception Index in 2019. The top spot is shared by New Zealand and Denmark, with 87 points each.

In 2019, Western Europe and the EU are the highest-scoring regions with an average of 66/100, while Sub-Saharan Africa is the lowest scoring region with 32 points. Both regions have kept an unchanged average since 2018.  

Iran slips in the Corruption Perception Index in 2019. The top spot is shared by New Zealand and Denmark, with 87 points each.

In 2019, Western Europe and the EU are the highest-scoring regions with an average of 66/100, while Sub-Saharan Africa is the lowest scoring region with 32 points. Both regions have kept an unchanged average since 2018.

According to the 2019 Corruption Perceptions Index reported by Transparency International, Iran is the 146 least corrupt nation out of 180 countries.

There is a link between corruption and democracies’ health that Iran has never benefited in the past four decades. Iran Administrative Corruption. 

The ICBPS team gathered the report.

The Institute of Capacity Building for Political Studies (ICBPS) is a non-governmental research institute focusing on political studies, international security, and international relations.