Iran:
How $18 billion went missing
| Billions of dollars are being plundered by officials and regime insiders in Iran |
Iran, August 17,2019 - During the Persian year 2018-2019,
Iranian regime President Hassan Rouhani’s government sold $29 billion worth of
U.S. currency at the state-set price of 42,000 rials to a variety of
governmental institutions or companies and individuals with special connections
to the ruling elite to import basic goods and services for the people!
However, a huge share of the $29 billion was
used for importing luxurious goods later sold at the rate of 120,000 rials per
dollar. All the while, many receiving companies, and individuals didn’t even
bother to import anything for the cheap dollars and merely deposited their
fortunes in foreign banks.
U.S. dollars are sold at two completely
different rates in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The government sells them at a
fixed price of 42,000 Iranian rials, while the fluctuating market price has
been somewhere between 120,000 and 150,000 rials over the past six months.
Originally, the lower state-set price is
designed to help control the prices of essential goods that are imported into
the country and boost domestic manufacturing by importing cheap raw materials.
And since the government earns the dollars through selling crude oil, you can
say that the difference is paid by Iranian oil exports.
Mohammadreza Pourebrahimi, a member of the
regime’s Majlis (parliament), says that $3.5 billion of the aforementioned the amount has been deposited in foreign accounts without importing any goods in
return.
Abdolnaser Hemmati, director of Iran’s Central
Bank, wrote on his Instagram page, “The obstacles and difficulties in the
distribution system resulted in a situation that, while the 42,000-rial foreign
currency had an initial impact on controlling the prices of basic goods from
going into shock, its disadvantages gradually revealed themselves. And while
their prices increased, corruption spread and overall prices rose.”
“In fact, dedicating foreign currency at
state-set prices for essential goods was not able to prevent prices from rising
in the midterm. Therefore, in most cases, subsidies have distanced themselves
from consumers, and middlemen have occupied the receiving ends,” Hemmati
concluded.
Considering the blatant and widespread
corruption in distributing the 42,000-rial currency, Hemmati sent a letter to
Rouhani. On 29 July, the state-run Tabnak website wrote, “A picture of the
Central Bank director’s letter to the President has been published yesterday.
The letter shows that 20 companies have received €3.5 billion of foreign
currencies at state-set prices and the fate of €1 billion from the original
€3.5 billion is still unclear. Among the entities are governmental companies
and firms related to dignitaries. In what fields have these companies been
active?”
Rouhani adviser Akbar Torkan said on July 31,
“We’ve sold the people’s assets for 42,000 rials to a number of middlemen so
that they mock us. Those who received these currencies at state-set prices are
now mocking us. We sold the people’s assets for the price of 42,000 rials to
some middlemen to import power cables and toothpicks and now they’re selling
them at 120,000 rials.”
Majlis member Hamdireza Haji Babii sheds even
more light on corruption. “Economic bloodsuckers have befallen the country as
whole tribes and families, and are easily using the country’s financial
assets,” he said.
These days, you can hear the Iranian regime’s
apologists and lobbyists on social media and in Western press complaining about
how the Trump administration’s energy and banking sanctions have deprived the Iranian
population from proper access to healthcare and medicines.
The truth, however, is an entirely different
picture.
The regime’s Ministry of Health and Medical
Education received $1 billion dollars of cheap foreign currency to import
medicine and medical equipment. This money, however, was used to purchase power
cables and other electric devices.
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