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Iran arrests top state managers as anti-corruption drive forges ahead

Iran's judiciary is intensifying its crackdown on state managers accused of massive fraud amid a currency crisis the country is struggling to overcome.
Iranian president Hassan Rouhani extends his hand to Iran's Judiciary Chief Sadegh Larijani during a swearing-in ceremony for Rouhani for a further term, at the parliament in Tehran, Iran, August 5, 2017. Nazanin Tabatabaee Yazdi/TIMA via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY.     TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC15208A0ED0

Several top managers at Iran's Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade have been put behind bars as the nation p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px 'Noto Sans'; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000; background-color: #fffb01} span.s1 {font-kerning: none} increasingly discovers that rampant corruption is a major cause behind the current economic turmoil.

Judiciary spokesman Gholam-Hossein Mohseni Ejei announced that at least five top managers at the ministry were arrested — four of whom are now in custody. The arrests were apparently made in connection to vehicle import fraud and the abuse of the official rate currency offered at the lower level of 42,000 rials per US dollar.

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