December 29, 2017
Hamid Baqai, one of former President Mahmud Ahmadi-nejad’s vice presidents, announced last Wednesday that he has been sentenced to 15 years in prison on financial charges.
Baqai, who appeared in court in September and October and is free on bail, made the announcement on the Telegram messaging app without giving details.
Baqai initially announced he had been sentenced to 63 years in prison but later published a list of eight counts of convictions totaling 63 years, the longest of which was 15 years. Under Iranian law, a convict serves the longest of the sentences for the counts in his conviction.
Tehran’s provincial Judiciary chief, Gholam-Hossain Esmaili, who had previously confirmed a verdict, later told reporters that Baqai “either doesn’t know the law or is trying to be naughty … because, according to the law, one only serves the longest sentence.”
Among the charges was “insulting judicial officials” for which he was sentenced to two years and six months in prison, according to his Telegram channel.
Esmaili said he could not elaborate until the verdict was final. Baqai has 20 days in which to appeal.
Judiciary spokesman Gholam-Hossain Mohseni-Ejai had earlier said Baqai was charged with misappropriation, embezzlement and collusion in governmental transactions.
Baqai, 48, was vice president for executive affairs and headed the tourism office during Ahmadi-nejad’s second term.
He was imprisoned for seven months in 2015 for reasons that were never made public, though he was previously investigated for irregularities during his time in office.
Baqai was Ahmadi-nejad’s choice for president in last year’s elections, but he was barred from running by the Guardian Council, which must approve all candidates before they go on the ballot.
A number of Ahmadi-nejad’s senior aides have been arrested on financial and corruption charges.
Recently Ahmadi-nejad, who is believed still popular among the poor, has stepped up his attacks on the Judiciary for putting Baqai on trial.
Last week, he challenged Judiciary Chairman Sadeq Larijani in a video message to explain what he said were accusations leveled against him and his allies. He called Larijani incompetent and the courts under his management “unjust.”
Baqai himself has been scathing about his trial by what he called a “kangaroo court.”