Iranian official reveals claims of corruption at highest levels
Accusations of corruption have led to speculation that a former Iranian official under Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's administration may seek the presidency.
Parviz Fattah, an official under former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's administration (2005-13), gave an interview to Iranian state TV on Aug. 1 that continues to rock Iranian media, even leading to speculation of a run for the presidency.
A former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) member who served as Ahmadinejad’s energy minister and as head of the Imam Khomeini Relief Foundation for four years, Fattah has since 2019 been head of the Mostazafan Foundation, a charitable organization that is often described as the second wealthiest institution in Iran next to the Oil Ministry. In his time at the foundation, he has already become a household name.
What has made Fattah the headlines of several newspapers and the top story on several websites is not his past job experiences but his very frank conversations about the one thing that remains on every Iranian’s mind: corruption. During the television interview, the soft-spoken and mild-mannered Fattah called out corruption at some of the top institutions in the Islamic Republic. What lends his accusations credibility is that he avoids the theatrics and limelight of the president he worked under for four years as energy minister.
The Mostazafan Foundation was created after the revolution to confiscate the belongings and property of former officials from the Mohammad Reza Pahlavi era. In the decades since, the foundation has continued to grow, now owning factories, businesses, construction firms and dozens of companies, many through confiscations of properties. The purpose of the foundation is to redistribute confiscated wealth to the needy and poor. "Mostazafan" means "the oppressed" in Persian, and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei chooses the head of the foundation.
