IRNA reports that Mohammad Khezrian, a Majles representative from Tehran, alleges vast corruption in Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization, saying that “70 percent of the largest oil ports in the Persian Gulf have been handed over to someone who is one of the country’s biggest debtors.” Khezrian, who did not name the “debtor,” added that “the contract was for 25 years at first, but with just one form from the bank and absent any accounting or transparency, the contract changed to a 40-year one.” The MP said that “all of the decision makers in this handover have just become the shareholders and members of the board at this company. We must follow the obvious traces of collusion and corrupt rent-seeking in this handover and the Majles must conduct an investigation.”
Khezrian also said that the parliament had received numerous reports of violations by the Ports and Maritime Organization—a branch of the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development—including the recent handover of the Bandar Shahid Rajaei territory to a company by the name of Daryapeikar. The details of the handover are not publicly known at present.
Addressing the financial particulars of the Ports and Maritime Organization, Khezrian said that the PMO’s books were not at all transparent about its dealings with other agencies and corporations or how its directors are compensated. The PMO’s directors receive enormous salaries according to the available financial documents, but the agency is unwilling to provide proof of payments made to them.