Iran Investigates $1.6 Billion in Missing Oil Revenue Through Secret Network
Iranian authorities are investigating allegations that $1.6 billion in oil revenue was not returned to the state through a secret network of intermediaries.
The network, known as 'trusties' or 'trustees,' consists of companies and individuals entrusted with receiving and transferring Iranian oil proceeds outside the conventional international banking system.
Zabihollah Khodaeian, head of Iran's State Inspection Organization, said one intermediary alone failed to return $200 million before fleeing the country.
A total of 59 criminal cases have been opened involving managers of trustee companies, and prosecutors have sought Interpol Red Notices for 15 fugitives.
Majid Reza Hariri, head of the Iran-China Chamber of Commerce, questioned how the intermediaries were selected and supervised, saying 'Who introduced these trusties? Who guaranteed them? And why is no action being taken against those who backed them?'