Reported by PMOI/MEK
Iran. Jan. 28, 2019 – On Sunday, a group of customers of Caspian Credit Institution gathered in front of the General Prosecutor’s office in Tehran and protested to the plundering of their investments. The protesters were chanting, “What is Caspian hiding that the prosecutor is afraid of?”
Caspian is a credit institution owned by the Revolutionary Guards, has permits from both the government and the Central Bank of Iran, and expands over more than 100 branches across Iran. In recent years, Caspian has found itself at the heart of a government-run Ponzi scheme which has resulted in the theft of billions of dollars out of the pockets of ordinary Iranians.
Customers of Caspian Credit Institution hold demonstrations in front of the General Prosecutors office in Tehran
With promises of quick return on investments, Caspian and several other credit institutions encouraged millions of Iranians to pour their lifesavings into these organizations. But in 2017, one after another, the credit institutions either filed for bankruptcy or declared that they could not refund their customers.
The customers of Caspian and other state-backed credit institutions have been regularly protesting in front of the branches of these companies and government offices and demanding the return of their funds. As far as the millions of affected Iranians are concerned, the government and the IRGC are fully in on the large fraud scam that has robbed them of their investments.
On Sunday, the protesters were chanting, “The thievery is evident, the government is involved.” They also directly targeted regime officials, saying, “You executed the Sultan of Coins but you didn’t execute [Valiollah] Seif.” In November, the Iranian regime executed Vahid Mazloumin, widely known as the “Sultan of Coins,” a man who had hoarded several tons of gold coins and other currencies. The Iranian people are complaining that the senior regime officials who are involved in much larger embezzlement cases are free while the regime executes scapegoats and smaller players. One of these officials in Valiollah Seif, the former head of the Central Bank, one of the main suspects of the large embezzlement case.
The reason the customers of Caspian had gathered in front of the prosecutor’s office on Sunday was that they were demanding that the regime stays true to its own laws, however unjust they are. “What do the people want? Justice!” the protesters were chanting on Sunday.
Customers of Caspian Credit Institution hold demonstrations in front of the General Prosecutors office in Tehran
Customers of Caspian Credit Institution hold demonstrations in front of the General Prosecutors office in Tehran