On the sixth of Mehr, Petrofarhang appointed Reza Karimi as the head of Sepahr Energy Company by the order of Seyed Mohammad Hashemikia. This appointment was made a few months after Karimi's management ended at Sabalan Petrochemical due to management weaknesses and corruption, making the recent appointment a clear contradiction in the claim of meritocracy by selecting a corrupt manager.
In the official announcement of the appointment, Petrofarhang mentioned Karimi's management in Sabalan, Dena, Kimia Pars Middle East, Marjan, and Tondgouyan as his background. However, informed sources told Fidus News that the title "Project Manager of Tondgouyan Petrochemical" in this list does not match Karimi's actual background.
According to these sources, he never had such an official responsibility at Tondgouyan and used the similarity of his last name with another person in that company to bolster his resume. Publishing the appointment order, the duration of tenure, and the mentioned duties is the simplest way for Petrofarhang to address this question..
The more important question goes back to Karimi's management period at Sabalan. Informed sources say Karimi's departure from Sabalan occurred after reports about his management performance and relations with contractors were raised. Petrofarhang must clarify what their assessment of that period was and how they found the same manager suitable for running Sepahr Energy.
Contracts and Relations with Contractors
Information received by Fidus News indicates requests for sums from some contractors during Karimi's tenure at Sabalan. Informed sources mention the name of Kayson Company and contracts related to Sabalan Two or Dena in this context, saying that in some negotiations, amounts in the scale of tens of billions of tomans were expected as a share..
One of the cases these sources want to be investigated is the acid washing contract for Sabalan Two. According to them, Karimi pursued handing this work to a private company related to his old friend Mahmoud Mahdavi, but Kayson's proposed price prevented the change of contractor.
Informed sources also speak of an expenditure for woodwork and decoration of Karimi's personal residence and demand an investigation into how nearly one billion tomans were charged to the invoice for the same contractor's repair work for the company's managers' office.
Appointments of Relatives and Questions about the Resume
Another part of the information received by Fidus News pertains to the hiring of relatives and individuals introduced by influential figures. Informed sources say that the support of Mohammad Movahed, a representative from the Parliament, for Karimi's managerial growth was accompanied by the appointment and hiring of individuals in Kimia Pars Middle East and Sabalan.
According to these sources, Siros Karimi, Reza Karimi's brother, also held a position in the resources section of Kimia Pars Middle East for a while, which ended with his dismissal following the revelation of his chat requesting a share from vendors after Karimi's removal from the headship of this group.
Reports received about the commercial relations of companies related to the Karimi brothers with Tondgouyan Petrochemical indicate that due to the clear collusion, the company established by the Karimi brothers and the contracts between them with Tondgouyan led the then CEO to order the placement of this company on Tondgouyan's blacklist.
In the appointment news, Petrofarhang mentioned Karimi having over 25 years of experience in the oil and petrochemical industry. Now, this holding must, instead of providing a general list of job titles, publish the start and end dates of each responsibility, the related orders, and his measurable track record. Especially the project management titles in Tondgouyan and Marjan, which informed sources have questioned, according to knowledgeable sources in these companies, lack official documents and are contrary to the reality of Karimi's tenure.
Petrofarhang is the largest holding affiliated with the Cultural Reserve Fund Institute, and its management decisions are tied to the assets of the members of this fund. The main question is: if the evaluation of Reza Karimi's performance at Sabalan led to the end of his management, what new evaluation justifies his appointment to head Sepahr Energy? Publishing documents reviewing his performance, work history, and the process of his selection is the answer that Petrofarhang owes to educators and public opinion.