According to the announcement by the General Inspection Organization of the country, the Dabesh Agricultural and Industrial Group received nearly $3.4 billion in currency for importing tea and machinery between 2019 and 2023. This amount of currency was sufficient to meet Iran’s tea needs for 14 years.
Over 60% of this currency was allocated to the Dabesh Group during the government of Ibrahim Raisi, while the rest occurred during Hassan Rouhani’s second term. Individuals in various government agencies, including customs, the Ministry of Agriculture, and the Ministry of Industry, Mine, and Trade, have been involved in this major corruption case. Recently, it was announced that a former minister was sentenced to three years in prison in connection with this case.
The Dabesh tea corruption scandal is one of the most unusual financial corruption cases to have occurred in Iran. Although the scale of this corruption in recent years, alongside frequent scandals, has not caused significant shock in society, the fact that a large portion of it occurred under a government that came to power claiming to combat corruption, and the government’s strange silence regarding this major corruption issue, remains puzzling.
Recently, the judiciary announced that a minister was sentenced to three years in prison, which many believe is the punishment intended for Sadatajnazhad, the Minister of Agriculture in Ibrahim Raisi’s government, a figure who played a significant role in this strange corruption case.
A Brief Overview of the Dabesh Tea Corruption
In summary, the Dabesh tea corruption refers to a financial corruption case related to tea imports in Iran, which occurred during the twelfth and thirteenth governments. The financial corruption amount in this case is stated to be equivalent to $3.4 billion, making it the largest financial corruption case to date in Iran. The amount of government currency allocated to this tea company is equal to the value of Iran’s tea imports for 14 years.
Although the media of Ibrahim Raisi’s government tries to indicate that this corruption occurred during Hassan Rouhani’s administration, documents show that this corruption happened during both Rouhani’s and Raisi’s governments, with its speed and scale increasing under Raisi’s administration. For instance, Mohseni Ejeai, the head of the judiciary, once stated that 60% of this corruption occurred during Ibrahim Raisi’s government.
Details of Currency Allocated to Companies in the Dabesh Corruption
The corruption that occurred under the general title of Dabesh tea was executed by three companies named “Dabesh Sabz Gostar,” “Asan Tavan Tolid,” and “Niko Faraz.” These companies received government currency between 2019 and 2023 and carried out extensive plans to circumvent regulations and pass off domestic tea as imported tea. These companies have been receiving government currency in Iran since 2016, but according to officials from the Inspection Organization, the actions of these companies can be examined under the Dabesh tea case starting from 2019, during Hassan Rouhani’s second term.
One important point regarding this case is the types of currencies received by these companies. Although the value of this scandal is estimated at $3.4 billion in the media, documents related to the transactions show that these companies received three types of currencies: UAE dirhams, euros, and Indian rupees. Among these, the majority of the currency received by these companies was in UAE dirhams, followed by euros, and finally a small amount of Indian rupees. We will further examine the details of the currency allocated to these companies from 2019 to the present.
Amount of Allocated Currency – Rupees
Amount of Allocated Currency – Rupees
Amount of Allocated Currency – Euros
As mentioned above, the events related to the Dabesh tea case did not only continue with the establishment of Ibrahim Raisi’s government, but they also gained significant momentum. For instance, during Ebrahim Raisi’s government and until the revelation of this corruption, 1,141,625,371 UAE dirhams were allocated to this company. In contrast, the amount allocated during the period of this corruption, from 2019 until the end of Hassan Rouhani’s government, was only 6,000,000 UAE dirhams. We will continue by examining the comparative statistics of the dirhams and euros received during Hassan Rouhani’s and Ibrahim Raisi’s governments in this case.
Amount of UAE Dirhams Received by Three Companies in the Dabesh Tea Corruption Case Between 2019 and the End of Hassan Rouhani’s Government and the Beginning of Ibrahim Raisi’s Government Until the Revelation of This Corruption!
Amount of Euros Received by Three Companies in the Dabesh Tea Corruption Case Between 2019 and the End of Hassan Rouhani’s Government and the Beginning of Ibrahim Raisi’s Government Until the Revelation of This Corruption!
The Silence of the Government Claiming to Combat Corruption
The issue of corruption in Iran is so pervasive and deep-rooted that every year and during each election cycle, if a candidate wants to enter the arena, they can write the slogan “Combating Corruption” at the entrance of their election campaign. Just like Ibrahim Raisi, who, in the spring of 2021, announced his intention to run for the presidential election, citing the fight against corruption as a significant reason for his candidacy. Although many reminded him at that time that the place for combating corruption was the judiciary, which he was leading, he did not accept this. Ultimately, however, less than two years were sufficient for the largest corruption case in Iran’s history to unfold during his government. This corruption occurred under the supervision of his trusted managers, and now neither he nor his close associates are held accountable for the actions taken in the Ministry of Agriculture.
Another important point regarding this case is the deep-rooted nature of corruption in Iran. In this case, we see how easily a corruption issue begins under one government with a certain political alignment and then accelerates and grows under another government with a different political alignment. A review of corruption cases in Iran is filled with such scenes. These events demonstrate that corrupt individuals can easily clear a path for their actions and proceed in any environment.
