Disruption in Auto Market and Arrest of Two MPs
Following the CEO of Iran Khodro, two members of the Industries Commission were also detained in connection with the SAIPA case with a bail set at 10 billion tomans. Iran Khodro and SAIPA have pre-sold 24,000 billion tomans worth of vehicles to the public that have not been delivered.
Faridan Ahmadi and Mohammad Azizi, representatives of Zanjan and Abhar in the Islamic Consultative Assembly, have been arrested in connection with the “SAIPA case” and “complicity in disrupting the auto market.” Faridan Ahmadi is the Vice Chair of the Industries and Mines Commission of Parliament, and Mohammad Azizi is a member of the Industries Commission and Vice Chair of the Imamzadegan Faction. Both entered Parliament from the Principlist list.
Their arrest took place on Wednesday, the 30th of Mordad, and a bail of 10 billion tomans was set for them. According to ISNA news agency citing a member of Parliament’s Presidium: “They did not have the necessary time and ability to secure this amount of bail, so the judge ordered their transfer to Evin Prison until the bail is secured.”
This unnamed representative reported that one of these two individuals had been detained earlier in connection with the same case for several hours but was later released on a commitment bond.
Alireza Salimi, a member of the supervisory body overseeing the conduct of representatives, says documentation and records related to the detention of these two individuals have not yet been received to make a decision regarding “abandonment of parliamentary duties” for these two. The head of the “Transparency Faction” of Parliament also told ILNA news agency that he knows nothing of the details of the matter and heard the news from unofficial sources.
The first person to publish news of the arrest of these two representatives was Yashar Soltani, an investigative journalist. In his latest tweet, he wrote that contrary to reports by some media outlets about their release, they are still in prison.
The arrest of these two members of the Parliament’s Industries Commission occurred two days after the dismissal and detention of Hashem Yekezareh, the CEO of Iran Khodro, at his office. Javad Soleimani, the CEO of the SAIPA automotive group, has also been banned from leaving the country for six months. The spokesman of Iran’s Judiciary said the “corruption in auto manufacturing” case involves 25 defendants, six of whom have been arrested.
The government spokesman stated the reason for Hashem Yekezareh’s dismissal was “intentional and uncoordinated increase in vehicle prices.”
Bahram Parsai, spokesman for Parliament’s Article 90 Commission, said: “The fight against violations in auto manufacturers moves beyond rhetoric only when every violator at every level, visible and hidden, and at every position is dealt with, and all those who were involved in the corruption of the auto industry, whether through neglect, laziness, negligence, or support for violators, must be held accountable for the current situation. This can resolve the disorder in the auto market that is putting pressure on the people.”
The representative from Shiraz posted on Twitter that people are waiting for all rent-seekers, both visible and hidden members of the auto mafia, regardless of their position, to be brought to trial.
Parsai also asked why the Minister of Industry, as the responsible official in this field, his deputy, the head of the Organization for the Protection of Consumer Rights, and the head and commission of industries as a specialized commission of Parliament have made no statement on this matter. Regarding astronomical wastage in auto manufacturing, he writes that 250 million dollars were spent to install a rear axle in Peugeot 206.
Iran Khodro and SAIPA owe nearly 24,000 billion tomans to the Central Bank of Iran, and have pre-sold an equivalent amount of vehicles that have not been delivered to buyers. These two factories, which employ 110,000 people, are scheduled to be transferred to the private sector by the end of 1398.
Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the First Vice President of the Judiciary, in explaining the corruption in auto manufacturing, said: “One of the automakers has 600 dealerships nationwide but through manipulation selects 15 specific dealerships and gives them its production so that by increasing demand, they can sell vehicles to the public at higher prices.”
Source: DW
