Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug.12
By Fatih Karimov - Trend: Iran's oil minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh says Iranian billionaire Babak Zanjani, who had been involved in Iran's oil sales to bypass the imposed western sanctions on the country, has deposited $2.7 billion of petrodollars to a fake bank in Tajikistan.
Zanganeh criticized the administration of former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for power abuse, saying that Zanjani with the support of a number of ministers and the central bank governor had deposited $2.7 billion of petrodollars to a fake bank in Tajikistan and the money has been disappeared, Iran's IRNA reported on August 12.
On December 30, Zanjani was arrested. In August 2013, Zanjani said that he has helped transfer €17.5 billion of the Iranian banks' capital from outside the country to domestic bank accounts with a 0.007 percent interest.
Zanjani is the owner or shareholder of at least 70 companies and banks, including Bank Arzesh in Tajikistan and First Islamic Bank.
Zanganeh said a number of persons, like Zanjani, pocketed petrodollars and are not willing to repay the money. "A major portion of Zanjani's debt is related to the crude oil which had been given to him in order to be sold overseas. But, he never paid the petrodollars to the administration."
The Kont Investment Bank in Tajikistan is bought by Zanjani in 2011, the U.S. Department of the Treasury reported on November 2013.
On March 12, Zanganeh said that Zanjani owes 1.1 million rials (about $45) to every Iranian.
In September 2013, Zanjani claimed the Americans blocked his bank account so he is not able to transfer the money to the Iranian government.
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Iranian billionaire Babak Zanjani, who had been involved in Iran's oil sales to bypass the imposed western sanctions on the country, has just paid €65 million of his €2 billion debt to the Oil Ministry.
National Iranian Oil Company managing director Roknoddin Javadi said denied reports claiming that Zanjani has paid €600 million of his debt to the Oil Ministry, Iran's Shana news agency reported on August 11.
