Following his candidacy in the May presidential elections, First Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri has appeared as a capable and likely candidate for the Reformists in Iran’s next contest in 2021. However, the recent detention of his brother over allegations of corruption may have thrown some obstacles in his path.

Reports about the arrest of the vice president’s younger brother, Mahdi Jahangiri, first surfaced on social media networks on Oct. 6. The news was soon confirmed by official media outlets.

The vice president’s brother has appeared in pictures with Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, who was the controversial adviser and chief of staff for former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Mahdi served as deputy head of the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization’s investment and projects department when Mashaei headed the organization in 2005-2009. The younger Jahangiri was forced to step down from this post following a November 2008 conference called “Investment Opportunities in the Tourism Industry of Iran.” During the opening ceremony of the conference, a dozen women dressed in traditional costumes came onto the stage playing music and presenting a copy of the holy Quran to the Quran reciter on the stage. The Principlist movement and some senior clerics strongly criticized the performance, prompting Mahdi to resign from his post. Despite his resignation, he went on to establish the lucrative Tourism Financial Group, followed by the Iran Cultural Heritage and Tourism Investment Corporation, which included several smaller firms such as the Tourism Bank.

Given Mahdi’s sudden success in business, his ties with the Ahmadinejad-Mashaei circle and the numerous financial corruption cases associated with the era of the former president, it was no surprise that he eventually came under scrutiny. The first vice president addressed this possibility directly in an Oct. 6 Instagram post, writing, “I don’t have any detailed information about how he was arrested or what the charges are, but in any case, he is not employed by the government or engaged in political activity. … What happened was expected and now we must wait.” He added, “I hope this is not a case of political abuse and that everyone will be treated equally in the quest for justice, in the fight against corruption and in accordance with the rule of law.”