TEHRAN – The first deputy parliament speaker on Tuesday asked the Judiciary not to appear soft on Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s infractions during two presidential terms. 

“If the former president (Ahmadinejad) is to blame for any infraction, the Judiciary should take action,” said Masoud Pezeshkian, a reform-minded lawmaker representing Tabriz.  

The call by MP came days after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei advised Ahmadinejad not to run for the next year’s presidential election. 

One week ago, Mahmoud Sadeqi, who represents Tehran in the parliament, said in a tweet the Ahmadinejad administration’s infringement of law amounts to nearly $14.7 billion and his own to $3.4 billion. 

The news was confirmed by the Supreme Audit Court which acts as the muscle of parliament, monitoring pecuniary performance of all state bodies, including ministries. 

“If the Supreme Audit Court also has the authority (it should) take action,” Pezeshkian pointed out. 

On if the parliament has shown any hesitation to address concerns over the questionable, unclear performance of the previous administration, Pezeshkian said, “The incumbent Majlis (parliament) is inattentive to no law infringement and if any infraction has happened in the past, the Majlis should be held accountable.”

Neither Ahmadinejad’s presidential office nor the Judiciary has made comments in this regard. 

AK/PA