Iran's Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the international organizations in Vienna Kazem Gharibabadi met and held talks with Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Ghada Waly on Wednesday.
In an Instagram post on Thursday, the Iranian envoy said he has discussed with Waly the issue of “financial criminals who have looted people’s assets and are now taking shelter in the safe paradise of some Western countries.”
During the meeting, the envoy has called for ‘serious’ involvement of the UNODC in extraditing these fugitives and returning the looted wealth.
The meeting comes as Iran’s Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Ebrahim Raisi has recently condemned certain Western countries for harboring Iranian criminals and fugitives who have looted public money.
It is against international law to harbor a fugitive criminal with charges of economic corruption, Raisi said on Monday.
He tasked the prosecutor general and the deputy Judiciary chief for international affairs to pursue the extradition of fugitives charged with economic corruption to the country.
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has permitted the Judiciary to take special measures in order to confront economic corruption and called for “swift and just” legal action against financial crimes.
Mahmoud Reza Khavari, who was chief of Bank Melli Iran, fled to Canada in 2011. He was involved in Iran’s biggest embezzlement case of roughly $2.6 billion. Despite Tehran’s frequent official requests, Canada has refused to extradite him. Interpol had placed him on its red notice wanted list in February 2013 but removed his name in October 2016.
MAH/ 4947084
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