"Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei": "Babak Zanjani's" assets were transferred to Tehran

Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei stated that Babak Zanjani's assets have been transferred to Tehran and he will pay off his debts.

Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, the head of Iran's judiciary, announced in a press conference on Monday, February 19, the identification of Babak Zanjani's assets abroad and their transfer to Tehran, and stated that according to initial assessments, these assets will be sufficient to cover his debts and damages. Without mentioning the amount of Babak Zanjani's assets, he claimed that if we add his previously returned assets, it will still be more.

Babak Zanjani was arrested in January 2013 following a complaint from the Ministry of Oil and sentenced to death on charges of "corruption on earth", "disturbing the country's economic order", "massive fraud against the National Oil Company", and "money laundering of two billion euros". This sentence was confirmed by the Supreme Court in 2016.

In July 2011, Supreme Court Chief Justice Ahmad Mortazavi Moghaddam announced the possibility of pardoning and reducing Babak Zanjani’s sentence if he cooperated and returned his assets. Mohseni Ejei said in today’s meeting: “After the Supreme Court’s decision was announced, Babak Zanjani announced that he had $4 billion in assets in one country. He also named five or six other countries where he had assets. The delegations sent to the countries claimed by this defendant initially did not find any assets or funds until he introduced significant assets some time ago, which were transferred to Tehran.” Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei did not provide any explanation regarding Babak Zanjani’s status, the change of sentence, or his release.

The status of Babak Zanjani, who was sentenced to death after 10 years of massive embezzlement and fraud against the country, is still unclear, and even claims of his pardon and release in case of cooperation were raised, while in the past year, after the start of public protests, many innocent people were accused by the Islamic Republic government and executed. People who did not even have any documents or evidence to prove the charges against them and were executed just for protesting, but people who were in cahoots with the Islamic Republic government and who received death sentences due to fraud, looting, theft, etc., will have their cases closed and pardoned if they cooperate.