Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 24
By Khalid Kazimov - Trend:
Thirty members of the Iranian Majlis (parliament) signed an appeal to summon Interior Minister Abdol Reza Rahmani Fazli, demanding explanations on his recent claims that drugs trafficking money has found way into the country's elections, Tabnak reported Feb. 24.
Some money made by drug trafficking enters the political scene and is spent in the form of help in elections and decision-makings, Fazli had said in a conference on illegal drugs in Tehran on Feb. 21.
In their letter, the MPs rejected the claim as "libel".
"A great part of moral corruption in the country has to do with the introduction of dirty money into politics," Fazli had also said.
"Although there have been cases like this in the past, the issue is not a serious case in our country," Iranian Chief of Police Esmail Ahmadi Moqaddam had said in the same conference, referring to Fazli.
The objecting MPs have accused Fazli of "tarnishing elections" and have asked him on what religious or legal grounds was he authorized to make such "libels"; and if he had thought of the feedback his statements would draw from foreign media.
Edited by CN