Shahram Jazayeri-Arab

Shahram Jazayeri-Arab is an Iranian entrepreneur and businessman involved in a high-profile corruption case with Iranian government. He was also involved in fabricating official documents. He had close ties with several high ranking reformist [http://web.archive.org/web/20070310031907/http://www.ansarnews.com/?usr=news/detail&nid=749 :: ansarnews :: ] ] clerics. [ [http://web.archive.org/web/20040107112410/http://www.iranvajahan.net/cgi-bin/news_en.pl?l=en&y=2002&m=1&d=22&a=3 IRVAJ English ] ] [ [http://iran-daily.com/1383/2096/html/national.htm Iran Daily ] ]

Jazayeri-Arab was taken into custody in 2001, at the age of 29, for a long-list of criminal activities involving bribery, illegal exports, forgery and massive embezzlement of state money and assets. [ [http://www.iran-daily.com/1385/2789/html/national.htm Iran Daily - National - 02/24/07 ] ] The cases of Jazayeri-Arab raised questions about the Iranian government's desire to deal seriously with corruption. Jazayeri-Arab was convicted in 2002 in a major corruption case involving 50 defendants, many of them sons of prominent clerics. In September 2004, his 27-year prison sentence was partially overturned, and he was occasionally released from prison on leave. [ [http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/news/iran/2005/15-110405.htm RFE/RL Iran Report ] ]

Jazayeri-Arab paid huge amounts of money to the former reformist held parliament members to influence their decisions. He has confessed to have paid about $600,000 to Hadi Khamenei, the Iran Supreme leader’s reformist brother, and about $400,000 to Mehdi Karroubi, former Majlis speaker. [http://www.iraneconomist.com/ Iraneconomist.com ] ] Reportedly, he was arrested after he sent a large check to Iran Supreme leader’s office. Jazayeri-Arab's asset, according to him, is more than 180 million dollars.

In 21 February 2007, Iran's Special Judicial Complex for economic affairs declared that Shahram Jazayeri-Arab has escaped, while being transferred to a court-assigned financial expert committee. [ [http://www2.irna.ir/en/news/view/menu-234/0702219579165308.htm Special Judicial Complex declares Jazayeri Arab's escape - Irna ] ] Hossein Shariatmadari of "Kayhan" newspaper wrote an article supporting the theory that those clerics were trying to cover-up the case. [ [http://www.iraneconomist.com/ Iraneconomist.com ] ] Following the escape controversy, the head of Judiciary, Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, fired a number of those responsible in the case, including the head of Evin prison and a few judges, and ordered an opening of a case in the military court for the judges. [ [http://baztab.info/news/62011.php بركناری‌های گسترده در دستگاه قضايي به‌خاطر فرار شهرام ] ] On March 19, 2007 Iran's head of intelligence agency confirmed that Jazayeri-Arab was arrested in an unnamed location in the Arabian Peninsula. His hiding location is said to be a remote village in Oman. [ [http://www.mehrnews.com/fa/NewsDetail.aspx?NewsID=462281 MehrNews.com - Iran, world, political, sport, economic news and headlines ] ]

Unlike ordinary prisoners in Iran, Jazayeri-Arab had access to a laptop and two mobile phones in prison and continued his business works overseas. [ [http://www.noandish.com/com.php?id=7461 ::Noandish::ستون "جهت اطلاع" روزنامه جمهوري اسلامي 5شنبه ] ]

In February 2007, Jazayeri-Arab was sentenced to 61,861,200 US dollars and 14 years of prison. [ [http://web.archive.org/web/20070308144715/http://www.hayat.ir/?lang=fa&page=showbody_news&row_id=34317 :: حیات - 14 سال حبس برای شهرام جزایری عرب :: ] ]

Notes

* http://www.rajanews.com/News/?3460
* http://www.rajanews.com/News/?3714

ee also

*Abbas Vaez-Tabasi
*Fraud
*Criminal law