Who is the godfather of the mafia network of the Executive Headquarters of Imam’s Directive?
Iraj Mahmoud Kalaye
For many years, Iraj Mahmoud Kalaye has woven a complex network of his relatives, such as his nephew’s son and close associates, within the Executive Headquarters and its important economic companies. Even years after his retirement, he continues to build this network.
Simultaneously sitting on the boards of several key companies within the Headquarters for himself and his relatives is just a small part of this complex network. The Ministry of Defense, Housing Foundation, and the Executive Headquarters are entities still immersed in the sticky hands of Mahmoud Kalaye’s connections.
The spread of corruption in institutions under the supervision of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran
The Executive Headquarters of Imam’s Directive is a governmental organization operating under the control of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran. This headquarters was established in 1989 by the direct order of Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic.
Currently, this headquarters is one of the largest economic cartels in Iran, active in major sectors such as banking, insurance, energy, oil and gas, and telecommunications.
According to the latest estimates in 2013, the assets of the Executive Headquarters were estimated to be over 95 billion dollars. Part of the expenses of the office of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic is also funded by the Executive Headquarters of Imam’s Directive.
In 2013, the U.S. Treasury Department placed this headquarters on the sanctions list.
The necessity of oversight for eradicating corruption
The executive and military apparatuses, by rehiring individuals whose economic and political corruption is evident, have shown that they have no serious intention of fighting corruption in Iran. Most of the statements made by officials of the Islamic Republic regarding corruption are more like slogans. When the corruption cases of officials and their close associates are exposed, instead of taking action, they prevent investigations with leniency and tolerance, or they delay handling such cases to the point that time causes them to be forgotten.
When a state company takes steps to award a project or sell some of its assets, it should use the rules related to bidding and auctioning. However, relationships allow certain individuals or entities to take advantage of benefits that are colloquially referred to as ‘rent-seeking’.
Media are one of the most important factors in reducing corruption. If media can freely address topics like institutional, executive, and military corruption, and publish existing documents to inform the public, it will lead society to react to these issues. This, in turn, forces the government and authorities to take legal actions against corrupt individuals to prevent larger crises.
However, in Iran, due to restrictions and oversight by security and judicial bodies over the media, such a thing is not possible. Free media reporting on corruption and societal reactions to these issues are influential factors that can reduce corruption. A few years ago in Finland, the Minister of Health was forced to resign because he made three phone calls to his wife in Canada at government expense. When this issue was raised by the media, public opinion reacted strongly, which led to the minister’s resignation.
If the Iranian government was serious about fighting corruption, it should allow non-governmental oversight and inspection bodies to be strengthened and become efficient, and also ensure that the judiciary acts independently and without leniency or tolerance towards high-ranking officials and their associates.