Iran court sentences former central bank staff to jail, whipping for bribery News
Iran court sentences former central bank staff to jail, whipping for bribery

[JURIST] An Iranian court has sentenced 16 former employees of the Central Bank of Iran [official website] to jail and lashes for accepting bribes. According to an Iranian state radio broadcast [Reuters report], the staff members were convicted of accepting cash, foreign currency, and gold in exchange for bank credit. The harsh sentences, including a reported 10 years of jail time, are seen as part of increasing efforts by the Iranian judiciary [official website, in Persian] to control official corruption in Iran.

In January, an Iranian airport customs contractor convicted of corruption was executed [JURIST report] for his crimes. Three other airport customs contractors face the death penalty for similar crimes. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad [official profile; BBC profile] has taken a tough stance again corruption and bribery, but, prior to January, no corruption offenders had been executed.