IMITATING THE SHAH, KHAMENEH'I ISSUE A "FARMAN" TO FIGHT CORRUPTION
PARIS First of May (IPS) Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khameneh'i, in his first "Farman", or Imperial Order reserved to Iranian kings, ordered Monday all the state’s high-ranking officials to use "every possible means" to eradicate what he termed as "organised crimes and the financial corruption".
In an
eight-point Farman -- a word the official Iranian new agency IRNA translated as
"mandate"--, Mr. Khameneh’i called upon the Executive and the
Judiciary powers to co-operate together to eradicate "every traces of
corruption and organised crimes in the society".
He said, without elaborating though, that people in charge of the production sector are now themselves victims of this financial crime, adding that those who would carry the fight against financial crime and corruption should be trustworthy and morally committed.
"Some may think that the crackdown on the criminals and fight against the corruption and crime would jeopardise the guarantees (necessary) for economic activities and investments, but not only such actions would not undermine the guarantees for the economic activities, but also would create a safe atmosphere in the country", the disputed leader said, behaving as an absolute Monarch.
He called upon the officials in the State General Inspectorate, the State Audit Administration and the Intelligence Ministry to work together to counter the corruption and crime and to help the Judiciary in identifying the criminals and dealing with them, urging the Intelligence Ministry to look into the trade transactions, huge investments, gigantic national projects and report on the cases of infractions to the president.
Iran watchers said not only Mr. Khameneh’is decision was "politically motivated" but also a reminder of same kind of Directives issued on their times by both the late Shah and Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and would backfire on the already crippled and paralysed Iranian economy, as the bazaris, or traditional tradesmen closely associated with the ruling conservative clergy would start hording, increasing basic items shortage, sending prices soaring up.
Mr. Khameneh’i said no discrimination should be seen, and would be tolerated in dealing with corruption cases or financial criminals. "The adopted measures should be practicable and transparent", he said, while calling for a "clear dissemination of information" on the matter to gain the public opinion's confidence.
They also doubted his sincerity, observing that most of those who profits most from the financial corruption and organised crimes, are relatives of the influential clerics who now rules the nation, including his family and close allies known as the "aqazadehs", or "daddy’s boys".
More than thirty per cent of the Iranian economy and lucrative trade are monopolised by the "bonyads", or organisations like the huge "Deprived" or "Martyrs" Foundations controlled directly by people who are appointed by Mr. Khameneh'i who, obviously, made no mention of them.
Though enjoying important facilities from the state, like getting the Green Back for seventy Rials and selling them 8000 on the black market, being exempted of taxes, yet the bonyads do not present any record of their activities to the government.
Addressing the staff of the "Headquarter for Examining Economic Offences", the Head of the leader-controlled Judiciary Ayatollah Mahmood Hashemi Shahroodi said that "certain number of people are enjoying special privileges and earn commissions from the government transactions while the judiciary had been involved in examining the small thefts and small financial offences".
But economists and experts say the root to corruption at the top lies within the very system of the Islamic Republic, a system in which all the powers are concentrated in the hands of the leader, a system in which economy is state-controlled and owned and the absence of democracy and an independent Judiciary encourages discrimination and injustice.
Shahroudi complained that those who call for improving the economic standard of the country should help the judiciary to put an end to the monopoly in the economic sector and the unjust privileges certain people enjoy from the poverty of the ordinary people.
The family of former president Ayatollah Ali Aakbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani is the "standard" for the "aqazadehs", as his five children, his brothers, son-in-laws and others run most of the nation’s lucrative trades when not placed at the top echelon of the state-owned firms.
Yet, in a recent interview, Mr. Hashemi-Rafsanjani, considered as being one of the world’s richest men, had stated in total modesty and sincerity that that not only he and the family lives on heritage left from the father, but their revenues had declined in recent years, adding that his mother and one of the sisters lives in their remote village of Rafsanjan, in the south-eastern Province of Kerman, from knitting. ENDS Khameneh'i CORRUPTION 1501