Arrest of Colonel Mehdi Khademi
Colonel Mehdi Khademi, an officer of Tehran's Economic Security Police, was arrested today by NAJA Protection due to extortion charges. This arrest indicates the infiltration of corruption and collusion in the country's protective and supervisory sectors. The charges against Khademi include extortion from major economic cases and collusion with corrupt managers.
Charges Against Khademi
The list of charges against Khademi includes directing some economic cases to District 5 Prosecutor's Office in Tehran in collaboration with individuals named Reza Tabar and Ali Darabi and demanding large sums from some business owners. He is also accused of threatening to file political, security, and economic cases if the demanded amounts are not paid.
Methods of Pressure and Threat
Informed sources have reported that Khademi increased pressure on company managers and business owners by sealing companies and creating restrictions on economic activities. He exerted influence by threatening to expand cases, threatening arrest, and fabricating cases to shut down economic activities.
Using Intermediaries to Receive Money
Khademi used intermediaries to negotiate and receive money from managers. For example, in the Kourosh Company case, he received 7 million dollars, which amassed a significant fortune for him.
Illegal Methods and Abuse of Position
Summoning individuals by phone instead of official notification through the Sana system and applying pressure to obtain statements, drafting biased reports, and creating new cases were among Khademi's methods. He abused his police position by turning legal disputes into criminal, security, and economic cases and freezing accounts.
Confrontation with a Well-Known Figure
The confrontation with this well-known figure for economic managers occurs in a context where it seems the reason for this confrontation was his opposition to some managers linked to influential economic cartels. Extorting from these managers cost him the exposure of his own corruption record.
