Six years after the arrest of Abuzar Dehdar, the then-head of the Bushehr City Council, in the case of financial misconduct in the municipality, the fate of the remaining members of this network, which spans from the municipality to the city council and the Bushehr Chamber of Commerce, remains unclear.
This case and the extent of the connections of the involved individuals remain intact, and it seems that Dehdar's arrest was only a cover for the vast activities of a network that also includes some influential people in Bushehr.
According to informed sources, the arrests of that period did not lead to the end of the associated circles' activities, and a network of relationships in urban management and among some individuals close to the Chamber of Commerce still casts a shadow over Bushehr's economic decisions; relationships that this source describes as diverting the city's resources from public needs to personal benefits..
Dehdar's arrest in September 2020 was officially announced by the then-prosecutor of Bushehr.. Ali Hassanpour announced that the investigation into the municipality's financial misconduct case implicated some individuals in the city council, and the head of the council was arrested by judicial order.. Prior to that, five other municipal employees and related individuals were arrested on charges of embezzlement and bribery.. This information indicated that the investigation went beyond one individual or one administrative section and reached a network of connections in urban management.
Informed sources within the Bushehr urban management say that the relationships of that period, including land use changes, intermediary real estate transactions, and the connection of these individuals with those close to the Bushehr Chamber of Commerce, remain intact, so the arrest of the city council head had no impact on the level of corruption in this network.
The persistence of economic connections after the arrests and the unresolved fate of corrupt transactions that have entangled the city's public resources have caused widespread damage to the local people's interests and halted many necessary urban projects in Bushehr.
City Lands in the Path of Private Interests
According to documents, one of the main areas of activity for this circle was using connections in the municipality and city council to obtain permits and change land use. In these relationships, access to decision-makers and knowledge of urban plans allowed some individuals to gain benefits, while ordinary citizens did not have such access and privileges..
Informed sources mention a piece of land on Imam Reza Street that was supposed to be turned into a park but was directed towards private ownership and use, and the construction of a garden house on it faced public protest. Although citizens' follow-up prevented further work, the final outcome of the investigation and the land ownership status remain unclear to them.
This case highlights the necessity of publishing registration records, decisions related to land use, and the results of administrative follow-ups.. Another issue is the real estate transactions within municipal plans. Individuals associated with the mentioned circle would introduce intermediaries to purchase these properties, and then the same assets would be sold to the municipality at a higher price..
In such a mechanism, knowledge of public plans can turn into an opportunity for private profit, with the cost being paid from the city's budget..
The investigation of these transactions should go beyond the names of intermediaries and reach the real beneficiaries. The silence of the judiciary regarding the buyers involved in this corruption and the key role of pricing experts and the money transfer path can each reveal part of the organized corruption network dominating Bushehr, which seems to be due to the regional influence of the provincial judiciary, showing no interest in thoroughly pursuing this group's case.
Local sources believe that publishing this information can clarify how much of the property acquisition resources have been spent on executing necessary plans and how much has been spent on intermediaries' benefits..
Ali Gholami and the Connection of the Urban Circle with Chamber of Commerce Associates
The connection of this corruption circle in the Bushehr City Council and municipality with the Chamber of Commerce is another aspect of the formed corruption. Ali Gholami is one of the individuals associated with this circle. He is the brother-in-law of Khorshid Gazdarazi, the head of the Bushehr Chamber of Commerce, and has joined the Chamber of Commerce without having the necessary qualifications or even the minimum educational requirements.
Gholami has had close relations with the mentioned individuals in the urban management complex and speaks of the economic relationships of these individuals in the Ashouri Street area of Bushehr..
These connections are part of the old ties between some municipal and city council agents and individuals close to the Chamber of Commerce. Another aspect of the case involves a locally influential figure named Idris, who gained extensive power by providing usurious loans to individuals in the city. His influence is such that at certain times, Bushehr's representatives in parliament and the governor have taken commemorative photos with him and he has had an effective presence in decision-making sessions for urban issues.
This network, which has purposefully infiltrated various executive and economic sectors of Bushehr, has created a large mafia, claiming that no judicial or higher executive authority can confront them.
Bushehr's Budget and the Account That Needs to Be Cleared
According to informed sources, the most important issue after Dehdar's arrest is the persistence of connections that allow influence over the city's resources and decisions.. Changing positions and the removal of a few individuals have not eliminated these relationships, and part of the budget that should be spent on public services continues to be wasted or diverted in the cycle of transactions and benefits of related individuals..
The waste and misuse of Bushehr's urban budget, which is the legitimate right of its people, is only a part of the consequences of budget deviation in this city. Any amount lost in unrealistic pricing, brokerage, or unsupported payments reduces the city's ability to address roads, green spaces, transportation, and neighborhood services.. Therefore, addressing urban corruption should clarify not only the responsibility of individuals but also the extent of the damage and how it can be compensated..
Six years after the arrest of the then-council head, the main demand is the publication of the investigation results: What verdicts have been issued, how much of the public resources have been recovered, and what has happened to the questioned lands and transactions? It should also be clarified what effective measures have been taken to prevent the recurrence of these relationships.. As long as the money trail, transaction beneficiaries, and the responsibility of signatories are not clarified, concerns about the continuation of this circle's influence remain..
The people of Bushehr have the right to know where the city's share of the public budget has gone and who should return it..