Baku, Azerbaijan, March 12
By Fatih Karimov - Trend: Iranian oil minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh says multi-billionaire Babak Zanjani owes 1.1 million rials (about $45) to every Iranian, IRNA reported on March 12.
Zanjani who is the owner or shareholder of at least 70 companies and banks, including Bank Arzesh in Tajikistan and First Islamic Bank, had been involved in Iran's oil sales and transferring the sold oil's money to the country to bypass the imposed western sanctions on the country. Reportedly, he owes €2.06 billion to Iran's Oil Ministry.
However, the Central Bank of Iran announced on Dec. 28 that Zanjani has not paid any sold oil's money to the bank.
In September 2013, Zanganeh said that Zanjani claims the Americans blocked his bank account so he is not able to transfer the money to the Iranian government.
Zanjani had said that the money was in the bank account of a Hong Kong-based company which is a subsidiary of the National Iranian Oil Company, adding that, "transferring the money to Iran is not my concern".
In an interview with the ISNA News Agency in August 2013, Zanjani said that he has helped transfer 17.5 billion euros of the Iranian banks' capital from outside the country to domestic bank accounts with a 0.007 percent interest.