Ahmadinejad summoned on ‘legal basis’

Iran’s Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani has dismissed as “mischief” recent reports implying that the court order recently issued to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to appear before court was based on personal issues between the two heads of government branches.

Larijani said on Monday that a number of media outlets reported the issue in a manner that implied the complaint had been filed on personal grounds.

IRNA reported on June 17 that Ahmadinejad has been summoned to appear before a criminal court in regard to a complaint “by Larijani,” Mohammad Ali Pour-Mokhtar, who is the chairman of the Article 90 Committee of the Majlis, and Yaghoub Khalilnejad.

Commenting on the same issue, Pour-Mokhtar said, “In 2010 and during the Eighth Majlis, three issues were reviewed by the Article 90 Committee in line with implementing Article 236 of Majlis Statute, and Majlis approved a bill that the president had committed violations.”

Pour-Mokhtar said these violations included refusing to provide Tehran’s Municipality with the budget for subway development despite a bill approved by Majlis; not preparing the Oil Ministry’s article of association; and a delay in introducing the minister of sports and youth.

The chairman of the Majlis Article 90 Committee said Majlis deemed two of the abovementioned issues as violations of Iran’s Constitution and forwarded the case to the Judiciary.

“When a violation is proved and approved [as such] in Majlis, it is referred to the Judiciary. It is natural that all Majlis [members] cannot sign the complaint, therefore the complaint is sent with the signature of the Majlis speaker. So the issue is not a personal complaint by the Majlis speaker,” Pour-Mokhtar stated.

The Article 90 Committee of Majlis is tasked with the execution of Article 90 of the Iranian Constitution.

Article 90 of the Constitution reads, “Anyone who has a complaint about Majlis, the executive branch or the Judiciary [of the Islamic Republic] may lodge a formal complaint with Majlis. Majlis is tasked with reviewing the complaints and providing sufficient responses…”