TEHRAN, Iran, May 20
Trend:
Iran's Judiciary has issued its verdict for suspects that disturbed the auto and foreign currency market in the country, said Iran's Judiciary Spokesman.
"The judiciary's major approach is fighting corruption. The special branch for fighting disruption in the country's economic system has issued sentences for those who disturbed the auto and foreign currency market," said Gholamhossein Esmaeili, Trend reports citing ISNA.
The judiciary's verdict includes sentences for former officials in Iran's SAIPA auto making company and two MP's that participated in mass pre-sale of vehicles that eventually caused the sudden rise of auto prices in the market.
"More than 50 suspects were detained; punishment verdicts were issued to 43 of them, and 34 suspects were convicted," the spokesman added.
"The main suspects in the case of disruption of foreign currency and auto market are Vahid Behzadi and his wife Najva lasheydaie that are sentenced to death for mass disruption of monetary and foreign currency system," Esmaeili said.
"Their disruption has led to smuggling foreign currency via fake orders and disturbing the public distribution system by pre-sale of more than 6,700 vehicles from SAIPA company, participation in money laundering operations of 32,000 billion rials [about $760 million], while 24,700 gold coins and 100 kilos of gold were confiscated from suspect's house. The verdicts can be appealed in the Supreme Court," he added.
"The former managing director of SAIPA Group Mehdi Jamali has been sentenced to seven years in prison for participation in disturbing the distribution system, whileformer deputy in SAIPA marketing Reza Taghizadeh Makoui is sentenced to 15 years," he said.
"Members of the Parliaments Mohammad Azizi and Fereydon Ahmadi were sentenced to 61 months in jail each for aiding the disruption of auto distribution system, former chief of general security Hassan Hastroudi is also sentenced to 61 months," he added.
The official has touched on the latest situation of lawsuits filed by families of victims who died in Ukrainian plane crash.
"There have been some lawsuit, and currently, one person is under arrest. The report of Ministry of Road and Urban Development on plane's black box should be discussed," he said.
Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) airplane crashed shortly after taking off from the Iranian capital Tehran on 8 January, killing all 176 passengers and crew members on board. Iran admitted that it unintentionally had shot the Boeing plane.