New head of the Iranian judiciary, Ebrahim Raisi, pledged to fight corruption, calling on the government and parliament to reform “the structures that generate corruption in the country.”
Appointed to his post last week, Raisi assumed office on Monday, replacing Sadeq Larijani. In a speech on the occasion, he noted that the regime’s structure yields corruption.
“No one, regardless of his status, has the right to circumvent the law and commit legal transgressions,” he said, expressing his intention to confront corrupt judges, who “want to harm the reputation of the judiciary.”
His remarks came as the judiciary began prosecuting officials responsible for embezzling USD6 billion from the sale of petrochemical products during the term of former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The move sparked mixed reactions among Iranians.
Supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, appointed Raisi to the post through an official decree on Thursday, naming him as the successor to Larijani, who served in the position for more than nine years.
Meanwhile, Larijani, who is currently chairman of the Expediency Council, revealed that 17 million files of corruption are compiled annually by the judiciary.
He denied, however, any role played by the judiciary in the formation of these files, and said that they were “the outcome of external problems.”
