First Deputy of the Judiciary Resigned Due to Corruption

The first deputy of the judiciary resigned due to corruption.

The first deputy of the judiciary resigned due to corruption. Yesterday, the first deputy of the judiciary resigned from his position, and this resignation was approved by the head of the judiciary. This resignation followed the trial of the sons of Mohammad Mosaddegh Kahanmoui on corruption charges. It is not inaccurate to say that this is not the first time that after the exposure and public disclosure of corruption by the children of a high-ranking official, that individual resigns from their position. Nevertheless, Mosaddegh’s action was met with positive reactions from the public.

It is not the first time that the children of senior officials engage in financial corruption, embezzlement, or money laundering due to the positions and status of their parents, and it certainly will not be the last time. Some of these corruptions have been proven, and some may be unprovable. However, since the 1990s, prison sentences have been issued for individuals like Shabnam Namazi, daughter of Mohammad Reza Namazi, Mehdi Akhundi, son of Abbas Akhundi, Mehdi Mirsalehi, son of Mostafa Mirsalehi, Ammar Salehi, son of Ataollah Salehi, and Yasin Ramin, son of Mohammad Ali Ramin.

Mohammad Mosaddegh Kahanmoyi, who was elected as the First Deputy of the Judiciary on July 13, 2021, resigned from his position on March 14, 2022. He has held various responsibilities such as the First Deputy of the Attorney General during the Amolilarijani presidency, Legal Deputy of the Head of the Judiciary, and President of the Administrative Justice Court during the Raeesi presidency. In his resignation letter, he stated that he had no involvement with any of the judicial officials related to his children’s case since the beginning of the investigation. He also thanked the Head of the Judiciary, emphasizing that he considers himself a humble soldier of the system and leadership and is committed to the ideals of the Islamic Revolution to the end of his life.

Mohseni Ejei, the Head of the Judiciary, accepted this resignation and stated that although your presence in this position had no interference or influence on the mentioned case, in light of your request and the points you raised, your resignation is accepted. It is said that this resignation was done to prevent any suspicion of interference or influence in the case at hand and to prevent misuse by opponents and ill-wishers.

A look at the case of Mosaddegh’s children

It was in this year’s Shahrivar when news of the arrest of two children of a senior official in the judiciary on charges of financial corruption was circulated on social media. Initially, authorities did not react to this news, but eventually the Mehr news agency confirmed it. According to the publication, it became clear that two children of Mohammad Mosaddegh-Kohanmooi, the First Deputy of the Judiciary, and Judge Motamed, along with three other heads of the judiciary, are the accused in a corruption case involving a 20 trillion tomans scheme by Mohammad Rostami Safa, the owner of the Rostami Safa industrial group. It was said that Mohammad Mosaddegh-Kohanmooi’s sons had engaged with a group of economic corruptors.

It was on the fourth of this year’s Mehr that Masoud Soltani, the Judiciary’s spokesperson, in a press conference, confirmed this matter without mentioning Mosaddegh’s name, stating that a case has been formed and will be seriously and impartially investigated. In a press conference on the 18th of Mehr, he confirmed that the children of the First Deputy of the Judiciary are involved and announced the preliminary investigation of the case.

As reported, the first court session to address the charges against the children of the first deputy of the judiciary and other individuals was held on March 6, 2023, at the specialized judicial complex for economic crimes. Part of the indictment of the defendants was read, and the second and third court sessions were also held on March 7, 2023. These sessions will continue.

The case of the Rostamisafa group

The Rostamisafa group case is a non-governmental economic crime case that, between 2003 and 2013, utilized significant foreign and domestic currency facilities through the establishment of multiple companies for production and imports. They received these facilities from banks such as Parsian, Melli, Sepah, Tose’e Saderat, and exported a major portion of these facilities out of the country.

Mohammad Rostamisafa, the main suspect, came under criminal investigation since 2020 due to non-repayment of facilities within the specified deadline, failure to repay debts even after legal actions by creditors, and multiple violations. According to the prosecutor’s representative, this group was receiving funds through an illegal office to influence the court’s decision in favor of the defendants. In this case, the misuse of the names of their fathers by the children of the first deputy of the judiciary is evident.

The peak of the activities of this group in the past four years has been related to two cases of evacuating the Qeytariyeh Stadium and a large-scale bank embezzlement by a person named Mohammad Rostamisafa. The group, which was formed only in the Rostamisafa case, has illegally earned around 200 billion Tomans, and the funds received in the money laundering process have been converted into properties, luxury cars, villas, and other items. The role of Mosaddegh’s children in this case was that they engaged with a group of economic corruptors, whose case was subordinate to their father in the judiciary, to influence the investigation process of this case.