Saeed Mortazavi, the notorious former Tehran Prosecutor accused of causing the deaths of detainees at Kahrizak Prison in 2009, is staying at the head of the Social Security Fund by order of the Ahmadinejad administration.
The controversial appointment of Saeed Mortazavi as the executive director of the Social Security Fund organization was rejected twice by the Supreme Court of Justice; however, the administration now claims that Mortazavi is serving there in a supervisory role.
Labour and Social Security Minister Abdolreza Shekoleslami was threatened with impeachment over Mortazavi’s appointment on the grounds that the latter is the prime suspect in the case of the Kahrizak deaths. The impeachment motion was suspended, however, as Parliament reached the end of its mandate and a new group of MPs was voted in.
Saeed Mortazavi, a staunch Ahmadinejad supporter, was removed from his position as Tehran Prosecutor after it came to light that detainees had died there under torture. The administration immediately put Mortazavi at the helm of the Task Force to Fight Smuggling and Drug Trafficking, and last year he was appointed to head the Social Security Fund.
The appointment has been challenged by many lawmakers and other political figures.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s presidency has been fraught with disputes with Parliament, and in several cases the escalation of disputes has forced the Supreme Leader to step in and mediate a truce, with calls for unity amongst the branches of government.
