Private Sector Parliament Surrounded by Government Officials

The private sector’s parliament surrounded by government officials

The Chamber of Commerce is considered the economic diplomacy arm of the country as the parliament of the private sector.

This institution, which should represent the traders and industrialists of the private sector, is supposed to be a valuable advisory body for the government and officials to use its opinions for developing relations.

However, it seems that in Iran’s economy, which is deeply contaminated with rent-seeking and corruption, where the government, as the overseer of all economic affairs, has created an inefficient command economy, interference with the Chamber of Commerce and the arrangement of its board of directors has also become a target these days.

Iran Gate previously published a special report exposing a stealthy move by Mokhber and his affiliated forces regarding the infiltration project in the Chamber, which led this team to act more cautiously in exerting influence.

Additionally, Iran Gate took another step by disclosing the role of Jahanbakhsh Sanjabi, the Secretary-General of the Iran-Iraq Chamber, who is one of the forces of Al Eshaq, the President of the Iran-Iraq Chamber. As mentioned in the report, Sanjabi attempted to present himself as a representative of the security institutions, especially the Ministry of Intelligence, and to convey his demands as those of the ministry.

Informed sources of Iran Gate reported on the open cases of Jahanbakhsh Sanjabi in the Ministry from his time in the Expediency Discernment Council, and the situation is so chaotic that such a person introduces himself as affiliated with the Ministry of Intelligence and intends to place his superior at the head of the Chamber of Commerce’s board.

However, the movements and lobbying of government affiliates to exert influence in the Chamber of Commerce’s board elections do not end here. Jafar Faraji, the son-in-law of Major General Aziz Jafari, is actively trying to place a relative named Ramin Khosro Khavar in the board position. Interestingly, Faraji promises the Chamber members that if they vote for Khosro Khavar, he can secure significant benefits for them from Raisi’s government.

Faraji, to avoid leaving a trace of his familial relation with Aziz Jafari, the former IRGC commander, introduces his wife with the surname Din Mohammadi. Aziz Jafari’s son-in-law aims to exert influence in the Chamber to engage in trade and economic interactions with Saudi Arabia and Iraq using the resources of the Chamber’s member companies.

In any case, Iran Gate’s revelation of the behind-the-scenes lobbying and influence exertions by these individuals to impact the composition of the Chamber of Commerce’s board led to the postponement of the board elections. It is hoped that with the intervention of supervisory bodies, the integrity of the Chamber of Commerce elections will be preserved, and this private institution will be protected from the interference of government rent-seekers and the government itself.