Iran's Supreme Court upholds death sentences for corruption
Iran’s Supreme Court upheld the death sentences of two individuals charged with economic crimes in what the judiciary hopes is a “warning” to others.
In an attempt to stamp out economic crimes, Iran’s judiciary has once again resorted to its most severe punishment: the death penalty. On Oct. 21, Iran’s Supreme Court confirmed death sentences for Vahid Mazloumin, known as the “Sultan of Coins” in Iranian media, and Mohammad-Ismael Ghassemi.
According to Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, the spokesman for Iran’s judiciary, the death sentences for the two men were upheld and “would be carried out soon.” From the first day of the trial to the confirmation of their death sentences, it took just 43 days to convict and sentence Mazloumin and Ghassemi — a point noted by Mohseni-Ejei when highlighting the judiciary’s speed in confronting economic corruption.
Mazloumin and Ghassemi were part of a group of 15 defendants charged with “corruption on Earth through disturbing the economic system” and creating illegal financial networks for coins and currency. Their sentencing comes after Iran’s currency experienced unusually high levels of fluctuation in August and September.
Morteza Tork, a representative of the prosecution, said Sept. 8, at the beginning of the trial, that Mazloumin had sources within the economic decision-making centers that he used to “create disturbances,” specifically in the fluctuation of gold coins and currency prices.
