Campaign against Money Laundering
Interview with Koorosh Modaresi
WPI Briefing: The Worker-communist Party of Iran has recently initiated
a campaign against money laundering of the officials of the Islamic
Republic of Iran. What are the objectives of this campaign?
Koorosh Modaresi: The growing instability of the Islamic Republic
of Iran in the face of popular discontent is a matter of fact. Nobody
has any confidence in the near future of this regime. Even officials
and leaders of the Islamic government are talking about the Damocles'
Sword of popular uprising threatening the very existence of the Islamic
order and the imminent collapse of the system. This situation has
forced many of the leaders, officials, functionaries and cronies of
the Islamic regime to look for a safe haven for the gigantic wealth
they have accumulated during the last 20 years. There is growing evidence
showing that these people are transferring their wealth to their personal
accounts in European, Canadian and some Far and Middle East banks,
especially in Switzerland, Germany, and the UK; some are investing
in properties under "Islamic-financial" front foundations.
Those laundering money include Khamenei (the Leader), Hashemi Rafsanjani,
commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards, officials of governmental
agencies, leaders and functionaries of religious institutions as well
as persons from the private sector connected to the system.
We have warned the concerned banks and governments that this is an
illegal act of money laundering and should be stopped. This is illegal
and immoral. This wealth belongs to the people of Iran. Leaders, officials,
functionaries and cronies of the Islamic regime have acquired this
vast amount of wealth through 20 years of embezzlement of large sums
of money from public funds, including the state budget and oil revenues,
official and religious extortion, fraud and racketeering.
With this campaign, we are bringing this fact to the European banks'
and governments' attention that the future dimensions of this scandal
would be comparable to the transfer of Jewish money to Swiss banks
by the Nazi regime. Furthermore, these banks would be accountable
to the people of Iran and the future government in Iran in the national
and international courts of law for complicity in defrauding the Iranian
people.
WPI Briefing: What specific actions you have in mind?
Koorosh Modaresi: Two lines of action: legal and political actions.
On the legal side, we will officially inform the concerned banks and
governments about this ongoing money-laundering scheme. Our public
statement will be sent to them and we will ask them to immediately
stop opening such accounts, close existing accounts of Iranian governmental
and religious officials and proxies, freeze their funds and open the
details of existing accounts to the public for legal scrutiny. We
will reserve the right to use all legal means at our disposal to sue
these institutions, put a stop to this practice, and expose all parties
involved. Our solicitors will follow up on each case separately.
On the political side, we will put pressure on the banks involved
by exposing the truth about their fraudulent, illegal and immoral
involvements. We will organize demonstrations in front of these banks
and Islamic-financial front organisations and attract as much media
attention as we can to make sure that the public, including their
customers, have the facts about their illegal and immoral involvements.
In both Iran and abroad, we will bring the ongoing gigantic fraud
to the public's attention and increase pressure on Islamic government
officials and proxies as well as on the banks and governments in Europe
and North America to put a stop to this practice.
This campaign will continue until its goals are fulfilled.
WPI Briefing: Do you have enough concrete information on this money-laundering
scheme?
Koorosh Modaresi: Yes, we have preliminary information on the transfer
of large sums of money to some banks in Switzerland, Germany, the
UK and the United Arab Emirates, as well as large investments in Canada
by Iranian governmental and religious officials and their proxies.
We need additional information on the current accounts and transactions
as well as on new fraudulent financial activities. We are calling
on the people in Iran or abroad who have access to this kind of information
to contact us and provide us with this information.
Contact information for the Campaign:
Phone: +44 (0) 777 98 98 968
Fax: +44 (0) 870 13 62 182
E-mail: pul@ukonline.co.uk
Address: WPI, Suite 730, 28 Old Brompton Road, South Kensington, London
SW7 3SS, UK
Koorosh Modaresi is a member of the WPI's Executive Committee and
Political Bureau. He is also the coordinator of this campaign.