Corruption is the result of a lack of transparency
Corruption is the result of a lack of transparency
Corruption like the strong tea or the fuel pipeline from the airport to the sea cannot be considered as isolated incidents of corruption
Even if we accept the official discourse that we do not have systemic corruption, we cannot deny that there are numerous systemic flaws that repeatedly break records in the amount of economic corruption and reveal new methods of crime in these areas
The head of the judiciary rightly pointed out on Thursday that these types of crimes and corruptions could not have been committed by ordinary individuals
This very point is an indication that the system has fundamental flaws that result in such economic corruption
All evidence and signs indicate that we are facing a serious disruption in the country’s oversight systems
In our legal and administrative system, neither are there few oversight bodies nor is their legal power to exercise oversight and stop corruption at the initial steps limited
It can even be claimed that some of our oversight arms have more power on paper than their foreign and Western counterparts
For example, the parliament is one of them
Nowhere in the world do parliaments in presidential systems have such a level of authority to exert power over the executive branch
However, the experience of recent years clearly shows that this oversight system has not been effective or produced the necessary outcomes in proportion to its administrative scope and legal power, because if it were, we would not be facing such a vast number of corruption cases, most of which have roots in government and state apparatuses
In his latest speech, Ejei also pointed to the inefficiency of part of this oversight system and said that what I emphasize is that for every corruption case that is opened, appropriate damage assessment should also be conducted, and the position of the security section should be evaluated
From the perspective of when the security departments of ministries and relevant bodies, which were involved in a corruption case in some way, became aware of the signs of corruption
Did the security sections properly fulfill their duties in this regard
These are issues that if we are faced with weaknesses and flaws in them, we must address and correct them
While we punish the corrupt, we must also dry up the grounds and origins of corruption to avoid facing such corruption cases again that occupy the minds and conscience of the people
In assessing the damage to the country’s oversight system, numerous points can be elaborated
But the foundation of all these assessments is one thing, which unless provided, even the most precise oversight structures and laws cannot prevent the emergence of corruption and the flow of corruption in the channels of administrative-economic interactions, and that thing is the unconditional acceptance of public transparency and freedom of expression
Today, we are beyond just saying that the country’s oversight system is inefficient and disrupted
In fact, based on evidence, it can be claimed that corruption has even infiltrated parts of the country’s oversight system
In other words, at least parts of this oversight system have themselves become participants in the occurrence of some corruptions
The major case of corrupt judiciary officials in recent years is an indication of this very issue
This problem cannot simply be attributed to the structure itself and the laws governing it
The issue is that there is no logical possibility for public oversight over the occurrence of corruption and the corruptive and anti-corruption processes
In other words, society and its representatives, namely the media, press, and public activists, do not have the opportunity to conduct independent investigation and reporting on the issue of corruption
What has happened is that even oversight over the occurrence of corruption and anti-corruption efforts has become monopolized in the absence of the power and ability of civil sectors to operate
From such a monopoly, even in anti-corruption efforts, no positive outcome can be expected
An example is that during Raisi’s presidency in the judiciary, high-profile courts were held with extensive publicity to address economic corruption
The issue here was that even there, the possibility of independent investigation and reporting on these cases did not exist, and the official authority asked the public to simply trust them
The result was that after that period, it became clear that in many of these courts, incorrect and flawed judgments had been issued while at the same time other corruptions were occurring
In recent years, various ‘sultans’ have been judicially addressed and even executed, but ultimately what happened
Meanwhile, the society still does not know what the Babak Zanjani case is about after 13 years
Is he in prison or free, how is he engaged in economic activities again and
The government and official authorities expect society to simply accept and believe their narrative of these cases, and for this reason, there is almost no effective transparency in these matters and no clear possibility for independent investigation and reporting to the public
As long as this is not the case, corruption will continue its work through the complex and dark corridors of official institutions and even oversight bodies, and in the meantime, a few cases will be discovered and addressed because neither is the oversight authority immune from contamination nor are the individuals working in it so innocent and different that they do not get involved
In the same experience with the Dabbash tea case, we saw that for the first time, it was the private sector activists in the tea industry who informed the government of the occurrence of corruption in February 2021
This experience proves two things: firstly, all those extensive oversight bodies were unable to identify this clear and obvious corruption, and secondly, the ability of the civil sector of society, here the private sector activists in the economy, was far greater in detecting this corruption than those large organizations
If we return to the question of the head of the judiciary about the poor performance of the country’s oversight system, including the security sections, it must be said that as long as the grounds for public transparency and freedom of expression for independent investigation and reporting on the emergence of corruption in the country are not prepared and every criticism and revelation by civil activists, media, and journalists is met with confrontation, the necessary efficiency will not return to the oversight bodies
Any reform and change in this area will be useless and ineffective without shining the spotlight of public opinion on the various decision-making, executive, and official oversight processes in the country
