Azerbaijan, Dec.10
By Fatih Karimov - Trend: Former director of Iran's Social Security Organization, Saeed Mortazavi, has sent a letter to the parliament, in which he has presented names of those MPs who had received high denominated bonus cards from the organization.
The letter, which has been published by the Fars News Agency, Mortazavi said the bonus cards have been handed over in three different times to 143 MPs, 75 MPs, and 67 MPs, respectively.
Mortazavi has said that the number of MPs which had received the bonuses was more than the figure which had been mentioned by the parliament's investigation committee.
On Dec. 4, the parliament's investigation committee reported that in addition to a number of senior officials of the previous administration, 37 MPs have received bonuses from Mortazavi.
However, Mortazavi has said that paying such bonuses has not been irregular, as MPs regularly receive such bonuses all the time.
On Nov. 30, the website of the Iranian parliament published a report, in which it said some officials of the country's Social Security Organization have received high bonuses despite the organization's budget deficit.
The report said sixteen officials of the organization have received at least 380 million rials (about $15,200) in bonuses during the past 1.5 years.
Iraj Abdi, a member of the organization's investigation committee, said that some people received 1.2 billion rials (about $48,000) in bonuses, while their monthly salaries were one tenth of the figure.