Economy Minister: Debesh Tea Company paid the foreign currency taken

Regarding the corruption in the Debesh tea company, the Minister of Economy said: "The Debesh tea company paid the foreign currency it received for imports, and people's money has not gone anywhere."

According to ISNA, Seyyed Ehsan Khandozi, Minister of Economy, stated in a meeting attended by members of the Iranian Front: "There must have been corruption regarding Debesh tea, and no one is trying to cover up this issue. As soon as the corruption was reported in the relevant department, a reaction and action was taken. The case has been referred to the judiciary, and God willing, the judiciary will issue a firm and definitive verdict."

"It is important for the people that no one says that Mr. So-and-so is our red line and that we should not deal with him. The people should know that this time the government and the parliament are not going to hide the garbage under the carpet, they are not going to cover up corruption, and some people are not going to be on the safe side."

Regarding the import of Debesh tea and the loss of people's money, he added: "The Debesh Tea Company paid for the foreign exchange it received for importing tea, and people's money has not gone anywhere. The company had paid the Central Bank and received foreign exchange, and it was supposed to import goods and equipment with that foreign exchange, half of which it imported and the other half it did not import. It has not taken any money out of the country, and the buildings and machinery related to it are also in the possession of the judiciary. However, to prevent the same level of violations that have occurred, a system was established in April of this year. Any company that wants to receive foreign exchange allocation must register in the system to find out how much it received last year or two years ago."

Khandozi also referred to the current economic situation in Iran and the people's inability to buy, saying: "If people are unhappy about the issue of reduced purchasing power and the shrinking of their tables compared to five to 10 years ago, this is because the issue of production and economic growth has been continuously weakening and weakening in recent years. In 1990, we had the best conditions for household income power, but after the first round of sanctions, this power began to decline. In the mid-1990s, incomes grew due to increased oil exports, but in 1997 we faced negative growth and high inflation again, and this problem continued in the following years."