Politics Iran: Prison sentences for former ministers in tea scandal
Two former Iranian ministers have been sentenced to long prison terms in one of the biggest corruption scandals in the history of the Islamic Republic. Resa Fatemi Amin, former Minister of Trade, was sentenced to one year in prison for aiding and abetting serious economic destabilization, according to the Iranian judiciary. Javad Sadatinjad, former Minister of Agriculture, has been sentenced to two years in prison. The verdict is final, as reported by the Misan news agency.
04.03.2025, 10:15
SDA
Both ministers were part of the government of the now deceased and arch-conservative Ebrahim Raisi. The company Debsch Tea was at the center of the scandal, which came to light in 2023. The company received more than 3.3 billion dollars from the government's foreign exchange reserves at a favorable exchange rate to import tea and machinery. However, some of the foreign currency is said to have been sold on the open market, enabling the company to make high profits.
66 years in prison for former CEO
The former CEO of the company, Akbar Rahimi Darabad, was sentenced to a total of 66 years in prison on several charges, according to the judiciary. The court found him - as well as the ministers - guilty of involvement in serious economic destabilization of the country and smuggling. However, according to the legal provisions, only the highest individual sentence of 25 years will be carried out. He was also sentenced to a fine of the equivalent of around 2.69 billion US dollars (2.57 billion euros).
Such harsh sentences, which also affect former members of the government, are rare in Iran. Critics, including religious scholars, cited the Debsh Tea case as an example of mismanagement in the country. Head of state Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has always categorically rejected accusations of systemic corruption. In total, more than 40 people were convicted in the trial.
Iran is currently experiencing a severe economic crisis. Many people are complaining about constantly rising food prices and are doing without meat and fish, among other things, which have long since become luxury goods for many.
