Samnak Aghaei ‎

The case of former nuclear negotiator Hossein Mousavian entered a new phase with the ‎appointment of a new prosecutor. Meanwhile, a website close to the President’s office ‎accused Mousavian of engaging in financial fraud. ‎

While repeating the national security charges that led to Mousavian’s arrest earlier in the ‎year, Raja News announced yesterday that Mousavian’s name is among a list of ‎suspected officials accused of receiving billions of rials in bribes and discounts from an ‎international real estate developer. ‎

Raja News’ new accusation, though not yet formally brought against Mousavian, points ‎to the willingness of the Ahmadinejad administration and the ministry of intelligence to ‎convict Mousavian in a public trial. Previously, Mousavian was cleared by the judiciary ‎of “espionage” and “leaking information to foreigners.” ‎

Following Mousavian’s acquittal of the two charges, officials from the ministry of ‎intelligence, President Ahmadinejad himself, and his administration’s spokesperson all ‎accused officials from the Expediency Council, who are close to Mousavian, from ‎pressuring the judge in the case to clear Mousavian of charges brought against him. ‎

Raja News publishes this new accusation against Mousavian after Ali Reza Jamshidi, the ‎judiciary’s spokesperson, responded to a call by the administration's spokesperson for an ‎open trial of Mousavian by stating, “if the case goes to trial, the judge will decide ‎whether an open trial should be held, and neither I nor the administration spokesman can ‎determine for the judge whether the trial should be open or not.” ‎