Who is behind the scenes of the automotive industry, Abdullah Tavakkoli Lahijani? Part 1
According to Iran Gate, it has been reported that 70 to 75 cars have been allocated to representatives protesting against the performance of the Minister of Industry in the second impeachment of Seyyed Reza Fatemi Amin. This issue, raised by Alireza Bigi, the representative of Tabriz in the Islamic Consultative Assembly, has also drawn the attention of the Attorney General of the country. Investigations indicate that this incident may have occurred, and the Ministry of Industry has bribed the revolutionary representatives of the eleventh parliament to retract their position on the impeachment of the Minister of Industry.
One of the representatives of the eleventh parliament, who had serious criticisms of the performance of the Minister of Industry, Ibrahim Raeisi, has made a controversial claim. Alireza Bigi recently claimed that the Ministry of Industry has allocated a significant number of SUVs from the products of Bahman Automotive Group in exchange for changing votes on the day of the impeachment of Fatemi Amin. In fact, this principled representative of the parliament has alleged that Seyyed Reza Fatemi Amin has bribed the representatives who were pursuing his impeachment motion in order to secure his position for the second time against dismissal by the parliament.
Following the controversy surrounding this news, Iran Gate has decided to investigate the issue and shed light on its details for the audience. Therefore, it was necessary to address the origins of these discussions and the main crises that are happening in the Ministry of Industry. This report focuses on introducing one of the highly influential figures in the automotive industry, who is at the center of attention.
The car’s foot is always in the middle.
Before addressing the issue of corruption in the automotive industry, it should be noted that the impeachment of Fatemi Amin has occurred at three different times due to events that have taken place in the automotive sector. These events indicate the continuous and ongoing activities of corrupt and rent-seeking forces at the heart of Iran’s industry. An industry that, according to experts, not only has no slightest growth, but has become a burden on the sick and suffering economy of Iran.
However, the corruption investigation in the automotive industry is not limited to the Ibrahim Raisi government. The motion to impeach the Minister of Industry in three instances within a period of less than two years indicates the intensification of serious crises in this sector. Therefore, it was necessary to identify the influential figures in the automotive industry in the past two years. These investigations are not only limited to the existence of corruption and rent-seeking activities, as the element of mismanagement by individuals under discussion has had the most destructive effects on the industry and subsequently the economy of Iran.
Hello, Mr. Director
Iran Gate’s investigations show that one of the senior managers of the Ministry of Industry has played a prominent role in inefficiency and corruption in the automotive industry. Abdullah Tavakkoli Lahijani, the Director-General of Automotive Industries at the Ministry of Industry, is one of the managers who has reached high levels of management in the country’s industry for the first time, along with Seyyed Reza Fatemi Amin. Tavakkoli Lahijani, who is currently responsible for the country’s automotive industry, is one of the most important individuals who has contributed to the current atmosphere in the Iranian automotive industry.
Who is Abdullah Tavakkoli Lahijani?
Who is Abdullah Tavakkoli Lahijani and with what background has he taken on such a critical responsibility? If you search his name on social media and official media outlets, you will not find a clear and specific record of his managerial background.
However, investigations show that Tavakkoli Lahijani had no specific and continuous managerial activity in the country’s industry sector until before 1395 (2016-2017). He has been working at Saipa Automotive Group since the mid-1980s and managed to include his name in Saipa’s scholarship list through band performances. Through this, he completed his master’s degree at Sharif University of Technology and once again, with a scholarship from Saipa Automotive Group, he joined the University of Science and Industry and obtained his PhD from this university.
Tavakoli Lahijani worked at Saipa Research Center for years as an expert and later as the deputy of engineering. From 2016 to 2020, he was active in this center. However, due to incompetence and lack of technical qualifications, he was dismissed from his position in 2020. After two decades of working at Saipa, he is forced to leave this automotive company. Reports from the employees of Saipa Research Center, obtained by Iran Gate, indicate that Tavakoli Lahijani had unprofessional and unethical behavior towards other employees during his tenure as deputy.
Dismissal of the Director from Saipa
However, after being dismissed from Saipa Research Center, Tavakoli Lahijani joins Jatco, an automotive technology research and development company. The manner of this transition has raised serious doubts, and the justification for his acceptance as a new member of such an important organization as Jatco is unclear. However, his scholarship at Sharif University and later at Alameh Tabataba’i University demonstrates that Tavakoli Lahijani has a special talent for utilizing influence and nepotism. Therefore, it is not unlikely that he has been able to take advantage of abundant opportunities in the corrupt industry of our country and secure a suitable position for himself at Jatco after his disgraceful dismissal from Saipa.
Although there are rumors about the connection between Tavakoli Lahijani and Mohammad Hassan Shojai-Fard, the head of the Automotive Engineering Faculty and Research Center at the University of Science and Industry, Shojai-Fard is also one of the figures who, despite being an academic, has a strong presence in the Iranian automotive industry. Some even believe that this university professor is actively involved as a key figure in one of the powerful groups in the automotive industry in the country.
If such claims are true, it can be said that the transfer of Tavakoli Lahijani from Saipa to JETCO, despite his incompetence being proven by Shojai-Fard, has been carried out with his support and approval. As mentioned, the rumors indicate a warm and close relationship between Tavakoli Lahijani and the head of the Automotive Engineering Faculty at the University of Science and Industry.
So far, the ambiguous background of Abdullah Tavakoli Lahijani, who is currently working as the Director General of the Automotive Industry at the Ministry of Industry, has been investigated. However, in the second part of this report, his performance in this field and his role in creating the current crises in the automotive industry will be discussed.
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