The quiet appointment of the new investment deputy of Arvand Free Zone in recent days, made by the CEO of this organization, comes at a time when the Arvand Free Zone has been embroiled in a wave of news, controversies, and management scandals over the past month; controversies that are directly related to the performance of the investment department and its ambiguous decisions.
Controversies of the Investment Department
The investment department of Arvand Free Zone became one of the most controversial sections of this organization during the previous management; to the extent that the scope of the related controversies and reports even reached the office of the First Vice President. However, despite numerous claims regarding license sales, nepotism, and financial corruption amounting to several hundred billion tomans, neither oversight bodies nor security institutions have taken effective and transparent action regarding these cases so far.
In such circumstances, the replacement of the former manager not only did not eliminate the suspicion of addressing corruption but also resembles a mere symbolic change and crisis management. The appointment of a new deputy without specific experience and background has strengthened the speculation that he has been chosen more as a scapegoat and sacrificial lamb to cover up past violations.
Efforts to Resolve Cases
In recent months, efforts by some individuals to resolve the cases related to the performance of the former manager without cost and to allow him to pass through the crisis with minimal risk have emerged; efforts that are said to have been accompanied by the granting of multiple privileges. The result of this process has not been accountability and transparency, but rather the transfer of the crisis to a new and inexperienced manager.
There is now a serious concern that the new investment deputy of Arvand Free Zone will become entangled in a network of collusions and problematic decisions, and his name will soon replace that of the former manager on the list of victims of a bloated and problematic management structure; a structure that, over the past years, has imposed heavy costs and losses on Abadan, Khorramshahr, and all of Khuzestan instead of development and prosperity.