NCRI

Power Struggles, Corruption Scandals, and Cyber Attacks Over Influence in Iranian Regime’s Upcoming Parliament

Farid Mahoutchi

Three-minute read

Before the helicopter crash that killed the Iranian regime’s president Ebrahim Raisi on May 19, the power struggle for more seats on the Presidium and the position of Speaker of Parliament had reached its zenith. Now, with the crisis-ridden regime facing another sham election in less than 50 days, coupled with the inevitable boycott by the Iranian people and escalating factional infighting, Tehran is poised for turbulent days ahead.

In the final days of the current parliament, fierce competition for power in the upcoming formation has brought to light new corruption scandals. Under the leadership of Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, documents revealing financial misconduct within the Masaf Institute, affiliated with Ali Akbar Raefipour, a close ally of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, have been made public. These documents show substantial sums of money, amounting to billions of tomans, being transferred to the accounts of Raefipour’s sister and father.

According to the state-controlled news website Entekhab, an unexplained withdrawal of 8 billion tomans from the Masaf Institute’s account has raised further questions. Eghtesad24, another state-run website, reported that the institute engaged in money laundering through its legal accounts. It revealed that while Raefipour himself had only 66 million tomans in one of his accounts, his sister Neda Raefipour’s account had nearly one billion tomans, and their father had approximately 1.6 billion tomans in his account.

Entekhab also noted the rapid movement of tens of billions of tomans through the institute’s accounts, questioning the criteria and invoices justifying these transactions, especially for an organization claiming to be a charitable institute focused on promoting religious activities.

In defense, Raefipour claimed that all funds were received as donations and were managed transparently. He stated, “For example, if someone donated money for purchasing rice for Arbaeen, that money is kept until Arbaeen and not spent elsewhere to avoid any religious wrongdoing.”

Further controversy arose when the state-run newspaper Etamad reported on Raefipour’s allegations against Parliament members during a televised interview. He accused representatives of bribery and corruption, leading to a hasty intervention by the program’s host to end his remarks. Raefipour recounted incidents such as a member of the parliamentary committee allegedly demanding a two-billion-toman bribe to halt an investigation.

Raefipour’s allegations extended to a sitting member of the current Parliament, who he claimed received 140 gold coins in bribes. He questioned, “What will they do with these? Distribute them among the people?”

Following these revelations, a faction of the regime’s cyber army launched a coordinated attack on social media against an opposing MP who had objected to Raefipour’s accusations. This digital offensive was seen as a show of support for Raefipour.

This scandal is not Raefipour’s first clash with powerful factions within the regime. In January 2022, Khabar Online highlighted a conflict between Raefipour and the Seraj Organization, linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The dispute arose after Raefipour criticized Seraj for taking credit and financial compensation for a hashtag campaign initiated by the Masaf Institute on Twitter.

The report detailed the extensive use of the regime’s cyber army, operating under various entities such as Seraj, Basij, Masaf, and Jangal. These groups are tasked with manipulating public opinion through organized activities on social media platforms, often in exchange for payments.

As the power struggle within the Iranian regime’s parliament intensifies, revelations of corruption and the mobilization of cyber forces highlight the complex and often corrupt interplay between various factions vying for influence. However, in their zealous fight for status and power, these officials often overlook the fact that a large audience is watching, turning each exposure into fuel for their outrage against the regime in its entirety.

Exit mobile version