Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 29
By Dalga Khatinoglu- Trend:
Iran's Intelligence Ministry denied the escape of a head of a private bank abroad.
According to ministry's announcement released Jan.29, the head of Egtesad Novin Bank (EN Bank) hasn't escaped abroad and rumors published on social networks are baseless.
hassan Motamedi, the head of EN Bank also rejected the information published on social networks about his escape during an interview with Iran's state TV, IRIB on Thursday.
During the past few days, some internet users released information about Mr.Motamedi and two other Iranian officials escaping the country and calling on people to withdraw their assets from EN Bank.
Established in 2001 following authorization from the Central Bank of the Islamic Republic of Iran (CBI), EN Bank is Iran's first private bank. A group of industrial, construction and investment companies launched the bank, with the aim of providing flexible financial services to the Iranian private sector.
Before him, the former head of Bank Melli, Iran Mohammad Reza Khavari, who has dual Iranian-Canadian citizenship, escaped to Canada in September of 2011, after revealing a $3-billion embezzlement scheme.
Also this week, Iran's former Vice-President Mohammad Reza Rahimi was sentenced to prison and fined.
The court issued its verdict on the case sentencing Rahimi to 5 years and 91 days in prison and a fine of 38,500 billion rials (about $1.1 million) on Jan. 21
Rahimi, who served as vice-president from September 2009 to August 2013 during the administration of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been charged in several fraud cases so far, but according to some MPs, Ahmadinejad used his influence to prevent investigations about the cases in the courts.
In a fraud case against the Iran Insurance Company, a defendant claimed to have paid more than $1.2 million in bribes to Rahimi.
Rahimi has reported links to jailed Iranian businessman Babak Zanjani, chairman of Sorinet Group, who is accused of skimming up to $2.7 billion off illegal oil exports, as Ahmadinejad's government tried to bypass international sanctions against Iran over its disputed nuclear program.
Edited by CN