Behind the Investigation of Mobarakeh Steel – Steelgate
In the investigation of Mobarakeh Steel, there is a narrative that suggests no investigation in the parliament over the years has been conducted purely for the sake of God and the people. There is always a political, economic, or even personal interest behind it. Some reports indicate that behind the investigation of Mobarakeh Steel, the Steelgate case, which was initiated by the insistence of two conservative representatives from the previous parliament, there are both political issues and economic interests.
Questions such as why the time frame for the investigation of Mobarakeh Steel was chosen from 2017 onwards arise. Was there intentionality in this matter? What connections and relationships existed between the two representatives pursuing this investigation, Nasser Mousavi Largani and Hossein Mirzaei, representatives of Falavarjan and Isfahan, and Mobarakeh Steel in previous years during prior managements? Without clarifying these backgrounds, one cannot make a correct judgment on the motivation and intention of any investigation.
Systematic and Networked Corruption
Another well-known narrative is that corruption in Iran has become systematic. The originator of the term ‘structural corruption’ is Ahmad Tavakoli, a conservative economist and former parliament member, who is currently known for his sharp critiques and objections to the current government’s policies. He believes that corruption in Iran has become networked.
He also has a golden phrase: The Islamic Republic of Iran will not fall due to a coup, war, or military attack, but it is corruption that will lead to the downfall of any government. After the release of the 300-page parliamentary report on Mobarakeh Steel, the question has arisen: now that for whatever reason you have addressed Mobarakeh Steel, what about the others?
Hassan Asadi Zaidabadi, a political activist, wrote on Twitter: Now that you’ve heard the story of Mobarakeh Steel, if you continue this thread and reach the strange and bizarre affairs of Gol Gohar Sirjan and its labyrinthine subsidiaries, you’ll definitely be shocked.
However, there is someone named Hassanpour, a representative from that region, who has been in parliament for 15 years and is vigilant to ensure such investigations do not happen. Another user tweeted that if the story of the Beheshtar Industrial Development Company and its subsidiaries is also opened, many will be shocked, especially regarding the activities that have taken place there in the past three years.
Another user also wrote that these are places where representatives have had access, and oversight bodies such as the Inspection Organization, the Judiciary, and the Tax Administration also have access. What about the institutions that no one has the right to enter and do not account to anyone? For instance, during the sixth parliament, a plan to investigate IRIB was on the agenda, but it was said that since IRIB is a governmental body under the leadership’s supervision, the parliament has no right to enter and inquire about it.
We Discovered, Therefore We Are Anti-Corruption
The widespread and harsh reactions to the multi-billion corruption case in Mobarakeh Steel have displeased pro-government conservative media, questioning why the parliament’s anti-corruption action has been used to undermine the system. The Hamshahri newspaper, managed by Abdullah Ganji, the former manager of the Javan newspaper, wrote that the revolutionary parliament investigated and exposed the corruption of an economic entity, and yet this anti-corruption action has become a sign of systemic and intertwined corruption and a weapon against the Islamic Republic.
Nowhere in the world will you find such a situation where the strength of a system is turned into its weakness. It is not surprising that the counter-revolutionaries and their paid agents advance such an illusory project. What is surprising is why this disgusting behavior has become a media habit for some inside the country.
It Was Rouhani’s Administration’s Doing
All investigations in all Iranian parliaments over the years have invariably had a prominent and specific characteristic. The procedure has been that the requesters and pursuers of the Steelgate case belonged to one faction, and the investigated organization or institution belonged to the opposing faction. The outcome of the cases has always been used as a pretext for political attacks and confrontations with the opposing faction. This constant principle has been observed throughout all past periods, where the ruling faction accuses the previous one of corruption, and this cycle of accusation continues from term to term.
For instance, Kayhan also wrote that it should be noted that the discovery and exposure of Mobarakeh Steel’s corruption is one of the good and commendable actions of the current parliament, which has performed well in its supervisory role regarding this production unit.
However, the reformist faction’s associates played a major role in creating this corruption, and now the Shargh newspaper refers to it as the hot corruption of Mobarakeh. Kayhan, in another article, wrote that Mobarakeh Steel is 100% government-managed, and for its management in the past three years, neither the real shareholders nor the Minister of Industry, Mines, and Trade decided, but rather the office of the former president.
The prevention by the first vice president, the former president’s chief of staff, and the former governor of Isfahan from dismissing the corrupt CEO and not holding board meetings for three months were among the interventions by senior officials of the previous administration. A representative from Najafabad in parliament also said that in Mobarakeh Steel and during Rouhani’s administration, we witnessed a phenomenon known as sales agents, who, without making the slightest effort, benefited from huge incomes, and this sales agent position was nothing but a rent.
Media Hype and Nothing
However, the conservative Resalat newspaper has tried to have a more balanced view of the issue. This media probably considered the political and media dimensions of the matter and asked everyone to hold off a bit until the situation is clarified in the judiciary. Record the writings and numbers presented in the Mobarakeh Steel investigation report and compare them with the final court ruling that will be issued. You will see that much of what has been introduced as rent or misconduct in this case does not have a correct basis.
Essentially, the philosophy and purpose of investigation are not to be able to act like a court, but perhaps people do not differentiate between the investigation report of Mobarakeh Steel and the final court ruling, and what gets sacrificed in this process is the trust of the people. The reality is that most investigations that parliaments have pursued, even those leading to judicial cases, have not reached a significant conclusion.
A specific example is the investigation of the Social Security Organization during the presidency of Saeed Mortazavi. In the end, all his actions were deemed administrative violations or within his managerial authority, and a definitive acquittal from embezzlement charges was issued by the judiciary.
Visit the article on the corruption case of Mobarakeh Steel of Isfahan titled ‘Decoding Steelgate’.