Confiscated $2 billion could spell legal trouble for Ahmadinejad
After Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wrote a letter to Barack Obama asking for the return of $2 billion, Hassan Rouhani asked the judiciary to investigate why the funds belonging to Iran were never pulled out of the United States.
Former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s personal letter to US President Barack Obama asking the American president to return $2 billion in Iranian funds blocked in the United States could become a legal headache for the former president, who some believe is eyeing a political comeback.
The Central Bank of Iran under Ahmadinejad’s presidency purchased the $2 billion of US bonds at a time when the country was facing off against the West over its nuclear program. The money was later confiscated and awarded to victims of terrorism by a US court, a decision that was upheld by the US Supreme Court in April.
According to current members of Hassan Rouhani's administration, it was becoming increasingly clear Iran would soon face international sanctions over its nuclear program, and many experts advised against the move to invest in the funds. Now, just as Ahmadinejad may want the money retrieved in order to eliminate a potential political attack from his opponents should he or one of his allies run for president in May 2017, it seems some Iranian political figures will use this issue to keep the former president far away from political office.
During a Cabinet meeting Aug. 10, President Rouhani said that before the funds were confiscated in 2009 “there was a golden opportunity at our discretion to remove all of our money from American access, but it was neglected.” Rouhani, without mentioning Ahmadinejad’s name, said that the judiciary and Supreme National Security Council should investigate the matter.
