IRAN: Corruption accuser jailed
The former parliamentary researcher who made waves by accusing some of Iran's top clerics of economic corruption was jailed today, news agencies reported.
Abbas Palizdar, a former corruption investigator, created a huge sensation in Iran after making a speech earlier this month alleging corruption among the country's most powerful clerics.
Some analysts saw the speech as a move by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to weaken his rivals, though a website close to the president denied he had anything to do with Palizdar.
Iran's not the kind of place where you can go around making accusations like that and get away with it. Many Iranian analysts figured he had some kind of patron looking after him. If he didn't, why hadn't he been arrested by authorities?
Well, now he has been.
Iran's Fars News Agency reported that "he was issued with a detention writ and sent to prison."
The big question now about the Palizdar affair: Is he a legit reformer, some kooky gadfly or a pawn in a bigger game?
Photo: Abbas Palizdar. Credit: File photo
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