The chain of misconduct and corruption attributed to Amin Emraei in Marun Petrochemical has reportedly expanded significantly; new documents and reports about the layers of this case are continuously reaching Feydus.
Military Connections and Managerial Growth
According to submitted documents and sources close to Emraei, one reason for the leniency of oversight and security agencies towards him is his claims of close ties with military commanders and the Basij. These sources allege that Emraei, who only had a background in a student Basij base, has introduced himself over the years as an affiliate of senior IRGC and Basij commanders, using this route to begin his managerial ascent. It is also claimed that he, relying on these narratives and paying sums to certain individuals linked to military entities, reached the position of managing oil projects at Iritec without relevant managerial experience.
According to these sources, this position, due to the high volume of projects and financial turnover, provided Emraei with the opportunity for financial misconduct and allowed him to continue his managerial advancement using the same model.
Text of a previous Feydus report on organized corruption of Emraei with military commanders in SATA
Entry into Shiraz and Marun Petrochemical
According to these claims, Emraei's economic connections and allocation of special shares to certain Khuzestan IRGC commanders paved the way for his entry into the position of CEO of Shiraz Petrochemical.
Informed sources also claim that Emraei's presence in Shiraz Petrochemical facilitated his connection with certain commanders of the Ministry of Defense and Majid Ibn al-Reza, the current acting Minister of Defense in the fourteenth government, and through this route, by making deals and ensuring the fulfillment of the demands of some influential military figures in the Armed Forces Retirement Fund, he took over the management of Marun Petrochemical, which belongs to this fund.
Emraei's Claim in Meetings: Buying Marun CEO Position for 40 Billion Toman
According to Emraei's family associates, he has repeatedly claimed that he acquired the CEO position of Marun Petrochemical in 2021 by paying 40 billion Toman. According to these sources, Emraei has cited this as a justification for expanding corruption in the company's contracts and has stated in meetings with his close managers that the amount paid to secure this position and the committed bribes must be covered from Marun's contracts.
Informed sources consider the widespread hiring of Emraei's friends and classmates from Omidieh University in Marun Petrochemical as a means to create a secure managerial circle for advancing plans that, according to them, were all in Emraei's personal interest and, in return, inflicted significant losses on the company.
Among these individuals, the role of a person named Mohammadi, one of Emraei's classmates, has attracted special attention. According to these reports, Mohammadi acted as a liaison between Emraei and urea brokers and facilitated the signing of contracts through price manipulation and invoice forgery, which, according to sources, brought substantial profits to Emraei and his influential partners.
Ambiguous Projects and Dubious Contracts
Informed sources also claim that Emraei, considering his management background at Iritec, has assigned the execution of some Marun Petrochemical projects, including the Ethylene Oxide Purification project, to this company to continue these collaborations. According to these claims, Mohammadi was the main intermediary in these connections and directly reported the lobbying process and dubious contracts to Emraei. Some contractors associated with Marun Petrochemical projects have also claimed that Mohammadi held special meetings with them during contract negotiations and openly demanded a specific percentage of the contract amounts for Emraei himself.
Another recurring pattern attributed to Emraei is the initiation of projects that, according to sources, lacked economic justification and a clear strategy. These sources believe that executing such projects, while creating extensive opportunities for collusion, has led Marun Petrochemical into a cycle of unfinished projects, distancing it from real development.
Security Shield to Counter Oversight Pursuits
Additionally, according to received information, hiring individuals with security backgrounds and active in the Ministry of Intelligence, named Shariat and Rahmani, is part of Emraei's plan to create a protective shield against judicial and oversight pursuits. According to sources, this mechanism was established as an alternative layer of support that was previously provided by certain military commanders and individuals associated with the Ministry of Defense for him.
These sources also claim that these two layers of support, which they say shared in the economic benefits derived from the misconduct with Emraei, made every effort to prevent the implementation of Ebrahim Raisi's order to dismiss Emraei during the Marun Petrochemical fire incident.
Ultimately, some internal sources at Marun Petrochemical claim that the use of these individuals with security backgrounds was not limited to creating a protective shield but was also used to advance Emraei's managerial interests and exert pressure on employees and managers who opposed his decisions. According to these sources, many Marun administrative staff have previously stated that the resistance of middle managers against orders they deemed corrupt and fraudulent was met with threats of security case formation by Emraei.
